Our Thoughts on the Councilmembers
Meeting with LAUSD Officials about
Westchester High School
(4-17-02) The council offices meeting with LAUSD board member Marlene Canter and WHS Principal Dana Perryman a few weeks ago did not address the issues important to families of the Westchester/Playa Del Rey area. It was instead simply an on-campus preview by the LAUSD of their intentions to increase the capacity of Westchester High School without any opportunity for our community to voice our concerns.
Reading the memorandum that was written by the councilmembers office and sent to Westchester Vitalization I was struck by the lack of attention paid by the councilmembers office to understand the issue as it is seen by our communities families. The concerns addressed in the memorandum covered only issues of neighborhood safety, parking and crime and the responsiveness to them. The rest was simply an acknowledgement of facts that the LAUSD dictated to them.
Where was the issue of academic performance addressed? Perhaps the councilmembers office saw the communities concern about the addition of bungalows merely from a parking, traffic and crime perspective. But a large number of the councilmembers constituents see the addition of bungalows and 700 students from a clearly different perspective. That being the districts trend toward larger schools, poorer academic performance, academic opportunity and student safety. Issues I plan to address at a later time.
As we see more students crammed onto the campus, the obvious problem families find themselves staring at is a poorer educational environment for their kids. The councilmembers office saw it more as a policing and traffic issue and the meeting reflected that. Perhaps academics is none of the councilmembers concern, but it is the communities concern. Particularly the "lot of families with young children" that Principal Dana Perryman so aptly describes.
Any future meetings with board member Marlene Canter, District Superintendent Carol Dodd or other higher level district official regarding the issue of "increasing capacity" must be addressed from the communities interest in increasing the academic performance, academic opportunity and safety for our kids. Not from the districts interests in relieving overcrowding.
The district would do well to heed medicines basic tenet Primum non nocere. Do No Harm.
David Coffin
www.westchesterkids.org