The board president told the News that she is meeting with her campaign treasurer to plan their fundraising strategy for November and to begin reassemble her campaign team.
“There is still plenty of work to do,” Paspalis, who came in second place in the voting in 2009 behind Karlo Silbiger, told the News.
“I would like to see the bond happen for our capital improvement project,” she added, referring to a possible school bond initiative that would fund enhancements at the Robert Frost Auditorium, the football field at Culver City High School and a variety of other district buildings that CCUSD officials say are in need of repair.
While Paspalis is certain that she is running again, CCUSD Board Vice President Patricia Siever is still mulling over whether or not to pursue a second term. “I’m still considering (whether to run or not),” Siever said recently. “I know that I have a lot of supporters and a constituency, but there are some things that I have to think about before I decide.”
Silbiger had previously announced that he will be running for reelection in November.
Paspalis, who is an attorney with experience in planning, said as the only lawyer on the board she has experience and a certain skill set that can be beneficial to the board. “Other than curriculum, which is very, very important, most of the matters that we see on the board are about facilities, personnel and budget,” the board president explained. “And I think (with those skill sets) that I have been a key component of the board.”
Contenders for the school board seats in November will likely be confronted with how to continue to grapple with the district’s budget as well as permit student, the beginning of the potential encroachment of charter schools into Culver City, selling the possible school bond measure and the aforementioned capital works project, among other things.
“Our biggest challenge has been the recession,” Paspalis said. “I’m hoping that soon we’ll be able to make more progress on some of the goals that we’ve set instead of just treading water.”
Paspalis said she was proud of the fact that many in the community see the current school board as more accessible to the community, as opposed to recent school boards that were viewed by many as more aloof.
“I think we’re really here for the kids, even if we all don’t always agree on everything,” she said.
Having two children within the Culver City school system is a prime motivator for her to make the school district the best that it can be, she says. “I don’t look at this as some abstract things,” Paspalis said. “For me and my kids, this is here and now.”
Siever, a professor at West Los Angeles College, said she plans to make a decision soon about her political future. She was elected with Silbiger and Paspalis in 2009 and has also served on the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.
