Education Foundation Campaigns to Save Teachers

The community has to step up and raise money to save the teachers who have recently lost their jobs at Redondo Beach schools, nearly a hundred parents said at a town hall meeting Thursday night.

Despite the Lakers' first playoff game being on TV, many Redondo Beach parents gathered at Parras Middle School last week to attend the meeting hosted by the Redondo Beach Education Foundation, which has been actively raising funds to support the schools, teachers and students in the district.

"I wanted to find out if there is a chance in saving the teachers' jobs. I don't want the classroom sizes to go up. I think that's really important," said Justina Teck, a mother of two elementary school children.

"I think [the foundation] is a great organization, and I wrote my check. And I'm going to get a volunteer form," Teck said, waving her donation.  

The Redondo Beach Unified School District recently handed a notice of termination to 16 elementary school teachers to reduce its $3.6-million budget deficit.

It is possible to raise enough money to save the teachers, said Brad Serkin, president of the foundation.

"This is the community which needs to stand up and support the teachers," he said. "Needless to say, it is possible, it is within our reach."

The foundation has estimated that it would cost approximately $60,000 to save one teacher from termination. During its Club 360 March Madness drive, the group collected more than $280,000, which will pay for performing arts, robotics and intramural sports programs, the Safe School Ambassador Leadership Program and teacher mini grants.

Serkin said that only 13 percent of the school district population (about 8,000 students) participated in the drive, and the Thursday town hall was designed to reach out to those who had never donated or were not aware of the foundation's fundraising campaigns.

The district has suggested a two-day furlough that could save an additional $440,000. Adopting a parcel tax to create a stable revenue source for the school district has also been discussed. With fewer teachers, classroom sizes could go up from 22.8 students to 24.9, Serkin said.  

Most of the parents at the town hall said that saving teachers' jobs and keeping the classroom sizes down were crucial to quality education, but some wondered whether now was an effective time to start the campaign.

The school district and the teachers' union have been negotiating how to cut costs, and they are expected to reach an agreement soon. There is no guarantee that any teacher positions would be spared even if the foundation raised enough money to do so.

Although Serkin acknowledged that the foundation has no authority to tell the district how to spend donations, he said the community's involvement would significantly affect the district's decision-making process.

"We can't promise you to do everything or anything you want, but I can promise you that we are here to listen. We want you to communicate with us," he continued. "We are here to provide the funding. We are going to give a direction of how we would like the funding to be spent."

Board of Education President Drew Gamet agreed. "We don't have a contract, but we have a trusting relationship," he said about the district and the foundation.

It is not realistic to ask the community for money while the economy remains tough, one parent said. Another parent said that a representative from Sacramento should have been there to explain why the state has failed to provide enough funding for education.

Despite the financial hardship the community faces, there is one thing everybody could agree upon at the town hall: "I think the Redondo Beach school district is fabulous. I think they have done a really great job with our kids," Teck said.

"I don't want people to lose the facts by looking at the glass as half empty," said Todd Loewenstein, the district board's presiding officer. "Besides the great test scores, besides the great facilities, you have a terrific group of teachers."

"Our kids are getting a great education," he said.