Dear Editor,
My bias is to encourage all eligible residents to cast informed votes for school board members in the Nov. 8 election. All residents have a vested interest in the schools.
At a general level, the quality of the schools contributes to the desirability of the community. Good communities have good schools. Community members are supporting Culver City schools through the bond measure and parcel tax, as well as voluntary donations. Thus, community members should be concerned about the elected officials spending public funds. Community members are also affected in more concrete ways, such as the availability of school facilities, school events and programs that enrich community life, daily and yearly schedules, plus school-related parking and traffic.
Community members can meet and learn about the candidates from their literature, neighborhood gatherings, websites and local newspaper articles. And of course, candidates may visit your residence, as I discovered my first month in Culver City, while out doing yard work. One of the best sources of information is the neutral forum conducted by the League of Women Voters and Culver City Council PTA. It provides an opportunity to learn how the school board candidates act and answer questions in a public setting, with a community-wide audience. I have found it to be excellent, both as a voter and a candidate. This year’s forum is on Oct.18, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Mike Balkman Council Chambers at City Hall. If you can’t attend the event, it will be broadcast from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Culver City’s cable channel 35, webcast on culvercity.org and questions can be submitted in advance at ca-south@smartvoter.org.
Finally, voting does matter. School board elections tend to have small turnouts unless there are county, state or federal items on the ballot. Some local elections have been determined by a small number of votes (10 to 20 in range). In fact, eight years ago two candidates tied; however, that’s another story.
Jessica Beagles-Roos, Ph.D., CCUSD School Board member, 2001-2009
Culver City