Dear Editor,
I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences as a Mexican immigrant and express my heartfelt belief that schools should place a strong emphasis on education to help our children reach the next level in their lives. Education is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about empowerment. It empowers our children to break the cycle of poverty, discrimination, and limited opportunities that some immigrant families face. It offers them a chance to dream, explore their potential, and reach new heights.
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended Reseda High School (a part of LAUSD). It is a sad reality for me to admit today that the faciliites, the cirriculum and the support that I received in my high school far exeeds the standards that my daughter willl receive at Culver City High School.
I’m deeply disappointed in our family’s decision to build our home and family in Culver City. The Culver City School District and its Board Members have proved time and time again that it does not care for its teachers and its students or the facilities. I especially regret voting for Board President Paula Amezola. As a Latina, I thought she would spend her time on the Board finding ways to uplift all of the students because she would understand the stuggles as an immigrant. She has utterly wasted her every moment on the Board. It is disheartning for me to hear her mention multiple times about how she only gets $208 each quarter for her services. I hope she did not think that this role was about the money. It certainly isn’t. People want to be on School Board to make a meaningful difference for students.
Ms. Amezola will be remembered for how she wanted to call the police on a parent while they were making a public comment on their child’s terroizing experence while on a school campus. She will be remembered for disregarding a community letter asking to terminate the contract with New Earth. Her side relationship with New Earth resulted in community members receiving cease and desist letters when they questioned the company’s credentials. Her decision has resulted in millions of dollars of the school’s resources wasted away on this contract. She has voted yes on a budget that didn’t meet the MINIMUM 55% to be spent in the classrooms. She wanted to hold on to a Superintendent that cost the district over a million dollars in fines with a 3-day school closure. She used up valuable CCUSD staff resources and time looking into workforce housing that the teachers have clearly said that they didn’t need. She let the negotiations with the teachers and staff unions derail by letting her employee, the Superintendent, offer the teachers and staff a TWO percent raise when the Cost of Living Adjustment was Eight percent. She has never once cared about the facilities of the school. All of the funds and resources she has had a hand in wasting could have been used to improve the bathrooms, the ceiling tiles, and the campus grounds.
Her desire to put a Bond measure on the March 2024 ballot is only because she has failed at everything else she has attempted. The only thing she has been successful at is wasting away resources and money.
Ms. Amezola has done nothing to support the cirriculum at our schools to ensure that my daughter will be able to get into the university or college of her choice. She has never shown concern for the facilities in which the teachers shape the mind and character of our children.
Until Paula Amezola is on the Board, she can’t have even a dime of my hard earned money. I am a hard no on any Bond or Measure put forth by Paula Amezola.
Thank you.
Flora Hernandez
