Welcome to our first meeting of 2020 and Happy New Year !

Today’s guests are:Jennifer Addington- Library Director of Palos Verdes,

Steven Kovary- CPA, a former Rotarian

Tony Tripp- Director of Development of the Boys & Girls Club the South Bay,

Christine Schmitz, the CEO So Cal Safety Institute and

Mike Spalding,Interact advisor and Instructor at PVPHS.

 

Today’s Announcements:

Contact Allen Bond if you would like to join the Scholarship Committee.

 

Our long time member Harry Kitter will be changing Rotary clubs and a seat on the Foundation Board has opened.

If you are interested in serving on the Foundation Board, please contact John Stilo.

 

January 15- Wednesday Night Live at the Club will feature the District Art Contest .

Parents of Contestants and Guests are invited.

January 18 - Mobile Medical Clinic

Juliette DeMoss has requested volunteers for the Mobile Medical Clinic at Beacon House

January 17 - Dark

January 24 - Offsite meeting at Lomita Sheriff Station to dedicate their new kitchen installed by PV Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs

 

Today’s Speaker is Dr. Alex Cherniss and his topic is “ The Road Ahead”.

Alex, a Corporate member of our Club, is the Superintendent the of the Palos Verdes Unified School District. He was named the Superintendent of the Year in 2018, is an adjunct professor at USC, and was the CFO of the Los Angeles office of education overseeing 80 school districts.

Although the PV School district and PVPHS was ranked the second highest performing district and most outstanding High School in the state, there are considerable academic and fiscal challenges to deal with and overcome.

Academically, it’s no longer sufficient to prepare students to excell with top grades only. Many of the jobs of the future especially in the technology sector haven’t even been created yet. So the solution is to teach life skills of communication and problem solving along with good grades so as to develop well- rounded students who can think critically, trouble shoot, and communicate.

To offer a twenty- first century education today, PVPHS is offering new programs like the Marine Science Center in Malaga Cove that is being developed with a grant from USC , and classrooms will be more flexible with teachers becoming facilitators rather than lecturers.

But the fiscal challenge of our district is considerable as it has ended up in the bottom 1 % in state funding. It has to rely on donations from the Education Foundation, parents and the community.

Pension costs are increasing and most schools which were built between 1955 and 1964 are in dior need of repair and seismic retrofitting. A measure will be on the ballot to mitigate these challenges and keep our students safe, competitive and prepared for the future.