After careful consideration, United Parents of Culver City (UPCC) has voted to endorse Anne Burke and Scott McVarish in the November 3rd election for Culver City School Board. While all three candidates in the race are well-qualified, Burke and McVarish display the knowledge, experience and dedication needed as veterans Laura Chardiet and Nancy Goldberg step down.
“The Culver City Unified School District has made great strides over the last two years, in large part as a result of the collegial attitude displayed by current board members and district administrators,” said Jeannine Wisnosky Stehlin, president of UPCC. “Burke and McVarish have earned the trust and support of an overwhelming majority of Culver City’s elected officials and community and parent leaders. UPCC agrees that they offer the kind of leadership necessary to face the challenges of the next four years.”
In light of our one-on-one interviews and a review of their track records, UPCC’s evaluation of the candidates is as follows:
Anne Burke, who holds a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, a Master in Counseling from the Loyola Marymount School of Education, and a Master in Knowledge Management from Cal State Northridge, has an extensive history of volunteerism in our district. A past PTA Volunteer of the Year, Burke has served as El Marino Language School’s PTA president and is currently an officer in the citywide council of PTAs. She will bring vital perspectives to the board as a woman of color and the first in her family to graduate from college.
Scott McVarish, an attorney, is engaging, dynamic, and extremely knowledgeable about what is going on in our schools. He received his B.A. from UCLA, a Master in Public Policy from from its School of Public Policy, and his J.D. from UCLA’s School of Law. One of the founders of UPCC, McVarish has proven his commitment to involving the community in school policy decisions. He is an incisive thinker who will be an invaluable asset as the district grapples with the complexities involved in spending the proceeds of the 2014 Measure CC school bond wisely.
Kelly Kent is an interesting and intelligent newcomer. We applaud her volunteer work at her child’s school, Linwood E. Howe Elementary, and are impressed by her educational credentials. Kent comes late to the table, though, and is considerably less knowledgeable about the District – its operations, its schools, its history, and the dynamics of the community. UPCC looks forward to working with her in the future, but we feel that Burke and McVarish are the right choices in this election.
UPCC’s Wisnosky Stehlin commented, “All three candidates represent what is best about our district. They are engaged, involved parents making a difference in our children’s education. However, we feel that Burke and McVarish are clearly more well-prepared to deal with the immediate challenges they will face and have proven their commitment to students and parents citywide.”
United Parents of Culver City strongly endorses the candidacies of Anne Burke and Scott McVarish for Culver City Board of Education in the November 3, 2015 election.
Founded in May 2012, United Parents of Culver City (UPCC) is a parent-run, grassroots, democratic organization founded by and comprised of Culver City parents from all schools in the Culver City Unified School District. Our members have joined together to talk and work on issues that affect all of our children – the students of Culver City. UPCC members are volunteer leaders from all five elementary schools, CCMS and CCHS. Members are current and former PTA and Booster Club Presidents, trustees of the Culver City Education Foundation, CCUSD board and committee members, and other parent leaders. UPCC also has active community members. For more information, please visit UnitedParentsCulverCity.com
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