Another Controversy at Pvpusd

PVPUSD Controversy & Potential Bond

The Palos Verdes Unified School District (PVPUSD) board of education is in the midst of determining the details of a potential school bond for this November’s ballot. PVP Watch feels passing a bond will be a difficult task.

On March 3, 2020, the last time a school bond was placed before voters in the PVPUSD, Measure PV, it received 8,913 votes, or 38.17%, when it needed 12,844, 55% to pass.  14,439 voters rejected the measure.

Confrontational School Board Meetings

Since that decisive defeat there have been two events in the district that have resulted in serious divisions in the community.  On March 23, 2023, there was an overflow crowd at the school board meeting to express their feelings regarding what many feel was the reading of an age-inappropriate book in a fifth-grade classroom.  This incident was the subject of a PVP Watch newsletter. 

The evening of June 4, 2024, again a crowd filled the school boardroom and two overflow rooms.  This time the reason was an editorial that appeared in the Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) 2024 yearbook entitled, “Whose Land Is It Anyway?”.  The confrontational language used by many of the approximately 70 individuals who each spoke for three minutes was reminiscent of the March 23, 2023, meeting referenced above.  Jewish speakers pointed out the antisemitism and inaccuracies in the article, while members of the Muslim community defended the article and the writer’s right to express these views.  Both sides made claims of discrimination against students of their respective religions on campuses in the PVPUSD.

What Are Yearbooks For?

For generations, a yearbook has been for commemorating and highlighting a school's achievements and events. PVP Watch feels a yearbook is an inappropriate medium to publish something as controversial as this.  PVP Watch is aware that PVHS has other editorials in this yearbook and has had students editorialize in past years.  However, this newsletter does not know of any other yearbook editorial that has caused such widespread and very public angst as this.  One Jewish PVHS senior said she felt like throwing this $130 remembrance into the trash after reading it.

How Are These Two Community-Dividing Meetings Connected To The Potential Upcoming Bond? 

These meetings featured parents who appeared upset enough to leave the PVPUSD to seek other ways to educate their children, be it home schooling, faith-based schools or something else.  These parents will not be motivated to increase their taxes in support of a district that no longer educates their children.  Even those who remain will have lessened enthusiasm for a district they feel betrayed them.  The PVPUSD needs every voter to believe in its competence.  Issues like this antagonize individuals and do not make them receptive to listening to pleas for higher taxes, or anything else.

Speakers on both sides told of harassment aimed at their children during school.  Teachers, administrators and other district employees had to be aware of this smoldering issue yet allowed literary fuel to be poured on it.  That it exploded into national news is not surprising.  And that no adult in the room could not see this embarrassment coming is disappointing.  This is referred to as “an unforced error” or “shooting yourself in the foot”.

Will these parents, and voters throughout the district, believe that the leadership who allowed this to happen, while they are trying to convince the community a bond is needed, be able to prudently spend hundreds of millions of dollars?  It will be a heavy lift.

The District’s And The Board’s Reaction

PVP Watch is frustrated, as are others in the community, by the school board not putting an item of such importance and interest as the yearbook on the school board agenda.  Only then can it be discussed, and constituents know how each member of the board feels about it.  Board member Julie Hamill’s June 3rd newsletter states that despite requests from the public and her own written request the yearbook controversy was not placed on the agenda.  Rather the board discussed it behind closed doors.  Why would this happen?  All the school board candidates promised more transparency when running for office but once elected that obviously is not the case for most of them.

PVP Watch will publish news like this for our readers but encourage you to seek out other important sources of information.  The school district website is www.pvpusd.net.  It contains important information, including the e-mail addresses for school board members and the status of the proposed bond.  The only member of the board PVP Watch is aware of who tells her constituents how she feels on all important district matters continues to be Hamill through her newsletter.  Subscribe to it at julie@hamill4pv.com.   

The June 4th school board meeting can be accessed through the district website.  It is a 7:54:21 long meeting, but one can scroll to desired spots.  At the 1:50:50 mark, public speakers begin.  The first public speaker is Alexandria Blumer, a candidate for the school board in the upcoming November election (Video).  The 14th speaker is Jeremy Vanderhal another candidate for the school board (Video).  Only two board members spoke about the issue, Sara Deen (Video)  and Hamill (Video).

Readers are encouraged to search the PVHS editorial on the internet if they want to read it.

The Potential Upcoming Bond and Board Election

Once the amount of the bond and all its particulars are established and put on the November ballot, PVP Watch will read the measure and publish thoughts regarding it.

Learn as much about the bond measure as possible and determine who is best suited to lead the PVPUSD since two seats will be on the ballot in November.

Sincerely

PVP Watch

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