Forum Covers Government's Role in Schools

With the national League of Women Voters launching a study on the federal government's role in public education, more than 50 people attended an education forum Tuesday night as part of a local kickoff event for the project.

The forum, held by the League of Women Voters of the Beach Cities and co-sponsored by the Woman's Club of Redondo Beach, took place at the Woman's Club facility on Broadway next door in Redondo and was an effort to encourage Beach Cities residents to join in the discussion on education.

The national study will look at equity, funding, and standards and assessments. And for those who attended the forum, it was "interesting to see what [the panelists] had to say," Hermosa Beach School Board member Ray Waters told Patch.

Wiseburn School District Superintendent Don Brann, Wiseburn School District Chief Business Official Tom Cox and Special Education Local Plan Area Southwest Director Bob Farran were all featured panelists.

In the brief initial presentations, Brann discussed the history of federal funding for public education, Cox talked about demographic effects on funding streams, and Farran explained current proposals for the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

After the presentations, the audience asked a variety of questions on topics, ranging from charter schools to standards for special education students.

"These charter schools are probably an interesting idea," Waters said, though he noted that he did not support the creation of charter schools in Hermosa Beach.

Charter schools may be a solution for low-performing districts, he added.

His wife, Carolyn Waters, was interested in how the state's education code applied differently to charter schools than "traditional" public schools, she said.

"The education code really needs some real work," Ray Waters replied.

Redondo Beach resident Sharyn Faltin attended the forum because she recently became an education surrogate for a foster child, she said, and she wanted to learn more about public education.

"I just need to be smart about this stuff," she told Patch, adding that she was "proud" of the high-performing schools in the South Bay.

Faltin also said that she was fascinated by the talk about No Child Left Behind, which requires schools to meet certain testing benchmarks. President Barack Obama has asked Congress to reauthorize the funding by fall.

"[No Child Left Behind]'s a huge monster that needs to be worked on continually," Faltin said.

Redondo Beach Woman's Club President Julia Rosenberg was pleased with the event overall, as it sparked a deep look at and discussion around public education here in the Beach Cities.

"I personally consider [the forum] a wonderful success," she said. "We really are honored to have the League of Women Voters select us" as hosts.