It's time for change on the Covina Valley School Board

This is not the Covina Valley Unified School District I know. It has changed, for the worse. But now, in the upcoming school board election, we have an opportunity to re-establish ourselves as a great school district.

I am one of the few people who can claim to have lived in Covina Valley County almost my entire life. First as a student in kindergarten through graduation at Covina High. I then served this community for three decades as a teacher, coach and district athletic director. For the most part, I loved everything about Covina – the city, the schools, the people, the shops.

Covina has always had a sense of hometown pride and a family atmosphere that everyone who came here said was special. But now we are at a point where change is needed.

In recent years, the family feel and welcoming school district culture has disappeared. It’s not the same. The district leadership is noticeably hostile or distant. It seems they care less about staff and more about sowing division internally and among students and parents. Morale is low and people are afraid to speak out.

This district leadership has shown a lack of fiscal responsibility and needlessly wasted money that could be better spent on education and children. Take, for example, the money spent on the annual district meeting at the beginning of the year. District leadership spent $21,500 on the speaker, $13,460 on the drumsticks needed by the speaker, $30,000 on the required on-site painting, and $7,500 on buckets to serve as drums. The union estimates this event will ultimately cost the district about $200,000. The current leadership wants this type of event to happen every year or two, but I’m sure most people realize that $200,000 would be better spent elsewhere.

This is one of the many reasons why I can no longer remain silent. Something has to change.

The first chance for change comes with the election in November. Three of the five seats are vacant for the school board. The three incumbents all agreed with the leadership’s unnecessary spending and negative decisions.

Although some of these incumbents were previously supported by the teachers’ union, this is no longer the case. Our union has had enough of this current group. The current board members have sold out to district leadership and become complacent. They are unwilling to have conversations with community leaders, their constituents and teachers. They limit communication with other school leaders and pursue their own personal goals by seeking political advancement. Fortunately, we have talented new candidates applying for these positions. These three new candidates will be a catalyst for change and bring back what we all love about Covina Valley Unified.

We’re tired of tense contract negotiations, a near teacher strike two years ago, and the feeling that we’re against them on almost every issue that comes up in the district. What happened to our leadership working with teachers, parents and staff to do what is best for students? That’s what we used to care about. We have to come back to that.

It is time for new blood and a new board with a new vision to hold the superintendent and district leadership accountable. We cannot continue down the path of poor performance, unnecessary expenses, reduced attendance and ongoing legal issues. I hope this message persuades citizens to vote. I hope that the trust I have built over the last 45 years within the Covina community adds weight and value. I wouldn’t comment if change wasn’t necessary. This is an important election on a national level, but on a local level, this election will impact our community and our children for the next decade. Do what is necessary and educate yourself.

Kevin Glaspy is a teacher and coach in Covina Valley.

Originally published: October 19, 2024 at 6:00 am

It’s time for change on the Covina Valley School Board – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

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