Adjuncts Redux: The Best Interests of Culver City's Children

reminds us that it is the union’s job to advocate for its members. That’s a good thing. However, it is our job as parents to advocate for our children. That’s also a good thing.  Hopefully, the school board will do the same throughout this process.

Although Mr. Mielke focuses largely on the El Marino language adjuncts, those are not the only volunteers at risk in the district.  Any volunteer performing work a union believes should be done by its member is at risk. 

Earlier this year, the Association of Classified Employees complained about the services donated by Linwood Howe parents, which resulted in a dramatic cut in the level of services provided to those children.  Now ACE is complaining about the El Marino adjuncts. 

Every school has volunteers and many have donated services. No one knows which services will be targeted next. That is why parents representing every school in this district want the school board to adopt a policy that protects all donated services to the maximum extent allowed by law. 

With that in mind, these are my responses to Mr. Mielke’s questions:

1. Does a regular paycheck change someone's status from a "volunteer" to an "employee"?

The real issue here is not what label you put on those working for our children, but whether we want to enhance their education by providing supplemental services the district cannot afford.  We know the volunteers do not cost the district anything, nor are they district employees. 

2. When parent groups fundraise and place people in our classrooms, should they retain control over those employees or should the district be the employer of record?

Again, the central question for parents is: What is best for our children? Parents have every right to expect to control how their donations are used, and is there really any doubt that parents give more when they know they retain control of how their hard-earned dollars are spent; when they go directly to helping children instead of being diverted to overhead costs such as administration, supervision and program implementation. 

3. Who is legally responsible for the actions of these employees:  the parent groups or CCUSD?

The parent groups supervise, hire, fire, pay insurance and issue payroll. They do the work, take the responsibility and incur the risk. In all my research and discussions on this subject I couldn’t find one instance of the district being held legally liable, so why would it be a good idea, after 25 years, for the district to suddenly decide to incur such a risk?

4. Will parent groups continue to fundraise if control of these programs shifts to CCUSD?

As someone who has been involved with the fundraising for these programs for more than 10 years, I can say unequivocally that fundraising will diminish substantially if parents cannot control where the funds they raise are used. 

Every major donor I have asked has said they will no longer donate to the program if it is taken over by the district. 

5. Does CCUSD need a consistent set of rules for all parent groups, or can policies be set site by site according to each school's particular issues?

Our schools already have site-by-site differences. We need to consistently provide each school with the widest array of choices, programs and solutions to their problems. This is not a one-size-fits-all district nor do I want it to become one.  That is why parents from all schools are asking the school board to protect and provide every single volunteer option legally available to all schools in the district. 

One of the strengths of our district is that it allows each school to address its individual needs. The school board needs to adopt a policy that supports and protects the largest variety of parent-provided solutions. 

If we focus solely on consistency, rather than flexibility, it makes more sense to use the longest running, highly successful and academically proven donated services program in the district - the El Marino adjuncts - as a model.

6. When does it become an educational fairness issue when students at School A have classroom aides while students at School B do not?

I refuse to try to create “fairness” by taking the classroom aides away from School A and I refuse to believe that CCUSD is all about finding the lowest common denominator when it comes to school support.

Is it fair that El Marino receives less money per student than other schools in the district or that it is the only elementary school with half-day kindergarten? Is it fair that El Rincon has a better science lab than at the middle school? The list goes on.

Let’s not try to create “fairness” by taking things away from students, whether it’s classroom aides paid for by parents, programs or equipment.  

Instead of asking whether any particular, isolated circumstance is fair to one group or another, we should be asking,  “What is fair to our children?”  For me, the answer is maximizing the resources in their classrooms, especially when it costs the district nothing.

Sandi Levin

Parent Advocate

Editor's note: Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.

Be sure to like Culver City Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.