Dear Mr. Cortines
(The following is a letter that Barbara Einstein, a Venice parent of seven, sent to Superintendent Cortines regarding the recently created "parent trigger." With Barbara's permission, I wanted to share it with you all. It is an eloquent case for why all parents, including those whose children will soon attend a given school, desperately need formal power to demand school transformations. -Gabe)
Dear Mr. Cortines,
My name is Barbara Einstein. I am the mother of three boys (all of whom attend UC Santa Barbara) and four girls (all of whom attend Walgrove Elementary in Venice).
Our family has lived in Venice for over 20 years. Ten years ago, when it was time for our boys to go to middle school, Mark Twain (the local middle school) had a particularly poor reputation for being academically weak. Due to this, my husband and I decided to "play the game" and send our boys to a decent public school outside of Venice.
Now, as our girls are getting ready to enter middle school, we are once again saddened and frustrated to see that Mark Twain is still as it was ten years ago.
In response, I have joined the Parent Revolution. We have gathered over 1000 signatures from concerned parents of children who feed into Mark Twain. I was initially overjoyed when the School Choice resolution passed; however, I became deeply disappointed upon finding out that you did not include Mark Twain among the schools which will be available for eventual transformation in 2010.
Of our four girls, three are currently in the 4th grade. What are we supposed to do in one year from now? Should we send them to a failing institution?
Venice does not provide its community with a choice of middle schools. Must I “play the game” again (as thousands of other parents throughout Los Angeles do each year) in order to ensure that our girls receive a decent education?
Mark Twain desperately needs a transformation. I must inquire: how can I—as well as hundreds of other parents—be guaranteed that Mark Twain will make the list in the following year? In my 14 years as a parent with children in the public education system, I have witnessed just how slowly and inefficiently change actually occurs. I have lost faith in our school district and school board.
The parents of Venice are ready to take action and help carry the responsibilities that come with having a great Middle School. We are active and organized. We have patiently waited for many years and we now request that our engagement and energy in this matter be met by you and the school board.
There needs to be a process put in place which allows parents to trigger designated failing schools such as Mark Twain to become available for transformation immediately.
I urge you to give us the power we deserve.
Sincerely,
Barbara Einstein
