Time to Roll up Your Sleeves, Culver City!

A heated debate over school finance caught many a parent and community member unaware.  In the middle of summer, a petition was circulated by United Parents of Culver City, a local political action committee (PAC). The petition suggested the situation was desperate, our schools were in a state of disrepair and neglect and we needed to act now to press Board members to put the measure on the ballot in November.

Superintendent La Rose, however, sees things differently. He seems fine with putting the measure back.  He recently clarified for Frontline what he  had stated earlier - “To do something this significant, this important, we want people to speak with great confidence, not only about the need but the manner in which we are going to address it." This time he states, again, to Frontline: "too little time and too much needed information".  

La Rose doesn't see this as a defeat, however.  Earlier he said: “I see this as opportunity to do a better job, to instill greater confidence in all of the parties involved in making this happen.”

This reasoning is perfectly in line with La Rose's philosophy.  In his statement on the CCUSD website, La Rose states: "Simply put, success for all takes us all."

It's also in line with what is well known about how to make bond campaigns successful - unity on the Board is key to building unity in the community.  This is particularly important for a key voting group for a bond campaign: seniors.   In contrast with parcel taxes which allow a senior exemption, bonds do not.  

The good news is that this challenge can be overcome and has been overcome, here, in Culver City.  In 1996, a similar school facilities bond (Measure  T) was approved by voters by the 2/3 majority that was then required.  Today, after Proposition 39, a bond measure of this type would require a 55% vote.

Even if the voting threshold is now reduced, seniors remain important, not only because they are more likely to vote, but because they traditionally vote against school bonds since they are often on fixed incomes and don't have school-age children.

How did campaigners overcome this in the past?  Well, for one thing, they didn't hurry.  The bond campaign committee toured school facilities with seniors showing them why the investment was needed.  This helped them get the endorsement of the senior citizens association who then sent out letters to its 2,900 members asking them to support the measure, as the LA Times reported. Clearly, seniors, parents and other community members will need to be treated just as respectfully by a bond campaign committee.

But for Culver City voters, the situation is going to be more complex.  In 1996, a bond measure came 5 years after a parcel tax was defeated.   In contrast, the 5 year parcel tax (Measure EE) that voters approved in 2009 is up for reauthorization.  And in contrast to a bond measure, as stated earlier, a parcel tax still requires a 2/3 majority.

All to say, voters in Culver City are going to need to understand school finance better.  We are going to need to understand the difference, not just in what it takes to pass the different measures, but in what they are best used for.  Parcel taxes, like Measure EE, allow us to fund important programs for our schools that will help us support improve instruction through reducing class sizes and supporting teachers, increasing arts and music programs, updating technology and instructional materials, etc.  

And we are going to have to learn more about the state of our facilities.  On the CCUSD website there is a master list of projects totalling $162 million, of which a bond measure was only looking to fund $70 million.  Voters will need to understand which projects would be funded and why they are so important.

Like I said earlier, we are going to need to learn more about school finance.  We will need to know more about what Proposition 30 is going to fund.  We will need to learn more what the Governor's Local Funding Formula is going to fund.  

And we are going to have to learn about bonds.  The issue of school bond campaigns has caught the attention of State Treasurer Lockyear because state law is very specific in how bond underwriters and elected officials must behave, as was covered in this LA Times article.  And, in this more recent article, the LA Times states:  "Across the state, bond underwriters have come to play a vital role in ballot campaigns to get hundreds of millions of dollars in school bonds approved. Their involvement, though, raises questions: Do they play an unfair and improper role in pushing bond measures? Is it against state law?"

Some people may argue that all of this is to hard to understand for the average voter.  This may or may not be true.  While people who are experts in finance will help us understand some of the intricacies of these issues, we will look to our elected leaders to make sure they have studied these intricacies and reflect our common values.   

And we will look to the leaders they select for our District to hold these same values.  When I read Superintendent La Rose's message, I know our School Board has done a great job choosing for us.  Just read his opening line:

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” This quote from Nelson Mandela has long been a favorite of mine. I have referenced it repeatedly in many settings, challenging groups to evaluate priorities and find common ground in decision making based on that which truly unites us – the desire to provide for every child.