City Council voted to fund Culver City schools!
As schools open up to students in a week, we're happy to share that the City Council voted 5-0 to give CCUSD $2.5 million in emergency funding to help meet its minimum financial standards for the year.
There’s no doubt that the hundreds of emails and messages you all sent to the City Council had an impact. Almost every speaker at the meeting, both in person and remotely, spoke in favor of the motion. Thank you.
While council members have different budget priorities, there was unity around the importance of our schools. Each council member seemed to realize that while emergency funding is critical in the short term, this $2.5 million won’t end the school district’s funding challenges.
“Our schools make our city so special. I’m willing to put critical city projects aside because my priority is our students. As we look at the next three years, I know that CCUSD will continue to need support and the City Council should take that up. Culver City and CCUSD share values and we have to work together long term to find solutions that work for everyone.”
This is an urgent matter. CCUSD is experiencing a financial crisis that puts it on the brink of losing control over its staffing and program decisions. You can read more of the history here.
Make no mistake, this was a victory for our schools. That said, we recognize that this victory came at the expense of funds set aside for critical sidewalk and bike infrastructure projects. In shifting these funds, the City Council also directed staff to revisit the funding of those projects during next year's budget process.
“I understand the needs of our schools and how important emergency funding for them is. I also want a commitment to replenish the funds we are taking from mobility and sustainability projects to provide this emergency support. We can and need to do both.”
Just minutes before the final vote, Mayor Dan O'Brien and Council Member Albert Vera made a motion to pay for CCUSD funding by cutting funds from a recently approved affordable housing project. The other council members rejected this idea as inappropriate, and in the end O’Brien and Vera joined the others in a unanimous vote to fund CCUSD without cutting affordable housing.
“I refuse to pit our students against affordable housing. That’s a false choice. I want to get back to the business of supporting our students and schools and that’s the resolution I want to move forward tonight.”
Thanks to all of you who wrote in and spoke at the meeting. It’s community-led movements like this that are helping to create the Culver City we all want to see. The school district will continue to look to the city for financial support, and your voice will need to be a part of that process.
And there’s more you can do today. Please consider donating to the Culver City Education Foundation or to the PTA of your local school (click here and scroll to the bottom of the page for links to PTAs for each school). Funding is already thin and every little bit helps.