Fourth in a series
Re “Robins Explores Unique Career Paths for Students”
[Editor’s Note: In part three of his For Great Schools series, Scott McVarish, co-founder of United Parents of Culver City, interviews School Board member Sue Robins. A former teacher, she talks today about strengthening the connection between Culver City schools and businesses. See www.facebook.com/forgreatschools]
Mr. McVarish: Culver City has such a dynamic economy right now, and our District has dynamic needs. The Culver City Compact is a pretty exciting program, not just because of the connection with the city and the School District but because of the potential to bring in local businesses. How do we increase the connection of our current business sponsors? How do we expand to other businesses?
Ms. Robins: I have been working with the owner of Tower Insurance, Janice Beighey, and the Chamber of Commerce to market Culver City businesses to teachers and staff. We have a large number of businesses that regularly donate to CCUSD sports teams, clubs, individual PTAs and booster clubs, and silent auctions. They don’t always get recognized. One thing we can do to recognize them is to encourage our staff to use their businesses. Therefore, if you are having a pizza party for your class, we want you to buy pizza from a Culver City business, especially one that has been giving money to your school. If you are going to spend that money, spend it with the people helping us, to strengthen the relationship. The Chamber decided they would be providing gift bags to all the teachers at the beginning of the school year that will have gifts from and information about all of the Culver City businesses. If you need to order pizzas or coffee for an event, please look first at the Culver City businesses. This markets those businesses for people to shop local. And it helps those businesses to see what is going on in our schools. I hope that this encourages them to participate with us if they haven’t already or to increase their participation if they are.
Secondly, we are going to try to collect the information about who is making donations. We don’t need the exact numbers at this point, but we want to know who is giving money to your booster club, who is giving donations to your silent auction, who is providing the coffee and the pizza at your parties. We want to collect who is participating with us already and recognize them at the School Board level. Right now they get little recognition,especially if they are giving in multiple areas. There are organizations that are giving thousands and thousands a year in $50 to $200 increments to all these different organizations. They deserve to be thanked.
Mr. McVarish: My law firm was proud to donate to the El Marino school silent auction. I also have on my website that anyone affiliated with CCUSD gets a pretty substantial discount on our legal services. But few people have taken me up on that. We have a lot of business in Culver City. I literally have to ask someone: Are you a parent at Culver City Unified? If they are, I will give them the discount. Usually they are surprised about it. I would love an opportunity as a business owner to let people know they can just say the magic words, “I’m affiliated with CCUSD.” I would be happy to give them a discount. I bet a lot of businesses would do that. It’s just a matter of making faculty but also parents aware that these businesses are supporting their schools and supporting the parents of their schools. That is why I do it. I would love for it to expand past faculty and go to parents.
Mr. McVarish may be contacted at scott@forgreatschools.org and www.facebook.com/forgreatschools