CCUSD, City of Culver City, Culver City Chamber of Commerce and Community Leaders Sign Compact to Ensure Student Success

Working with the Culver City Chamber of Commerce and other key stakeholders throughout the local business and education community, the Culver City Unified School District has developed the Culver City Compact – a signed document that outlines the community’s commitment and vision for a bright educational future.

“This document turns the phrase  - “Success for All Takes Us All” - into a visionary and collaborative commitment. The Culver Compact is another reminder that we must all work together to create an educational environment that tends to the whole child and addresses student needs both inside and outside the classroom,” said CCUSD Superintendent Dave LaRose. “I am grateful so many leaders in Culver City have embraced and signed the Compact. We are all invested in and responsible for the future of our children, and this document underscores that investment.”

The Culver City Compact includes a wide range of signatories, including LaRose and CCUSD Board of Education President Laura Chardiet, representing the entire board. Other signatories include: Jeff Cooper Mayor, City of Culver City; Steven J. Rose, President/CEO, Culver City Chamber of Commerce; John Nachbar, City Manager, City of Culver City; Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, President, West Los Angeles College; Shane P. Martin, Ph.D., Dean of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education; Janice Pober, Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Social Responsibility, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Marcia Shulman President, Culver City Education Foundation Board of Trustees; Jody Reichel, President, Culver City Council PTA; Audrey Stephens, Director, Culver City Office of Child Development; Veronica Montes, Principal, Culver City Adult School and Culver Park Continuation High School; Debbie Hamme, President, Culver City Association of Classified Employees; David Mielke, President, Culver City Federation of Teachers; and Marcia Antopol, Executive Director, Fineshriber Family Foundation.

The document seeks to achieve three primary goals:

• Goal One  – All students graduate from high school
• Goal Two – All students graduate high school with the skills, passion, and sense of purpose to succeed in higher learning
• Goal Three – All students have access to and experience in pathways to relevant, sustainable jobs and careers

“Culver City is an incredible place where everyone works together to achieve common goals, so it is not surprising that we would all come together to sign a document like this,” said Mayor Jeff Cooper. “But what is really special is that we now have a single and clear direction for how we intend to create these important educational pathways for Culver City students. I am especially encouraged that we are looking at students of all ages and addressing the critical need for us to develop a workforce that is technology savvy, well-prepared and engaged for whatever the future job market throws at them.”

The Culver City Compact also outlines 10 specific strategies for working collaboratively among CCUSD, the city, the business community and throughout the community:

1.   Build Collaborative Leadership Capacity

2.   Share Data

3.   Map Community Resources

4.   Identify, Celebrate and Expand Successful Practices

5.   Invest in, Develop and Reinforce High-Quality Teaching and Learning in All Classrooms

6.   Develop Inter-Agency Professional Learning Communities Focused on Student Learning

7.   Engage in a Purposeful Evaluation and Assessment of Current Practices

8.   Coordinate Advocacy for Educational Policy and Funding Issues

9.   Partner, Create and Enhance Student Pathways for Workforce and Career

10. Ensure Support Services for All Students and Families

“The Culver City Compact is a formalization of commitments to the children and youth of Culver City that we already share,” said CCUSD Board of Education President Laura Chardiet, who initiated the effort to create the document. “All signatories of the Compact look forward to building on the existing close relationships, and leveraging the resources that benefit not only the school District but all stakeholders including the city, business, higher education, and our lovely community as a whole.”