Fairfax High School honored Mr. Steve Zimmer, the newly elected member of LAUSD Board of Education, in a ceremony in the Rotunda on the night of January 14.
Mr. Zimmer, a teacher and counselor at Marshall High School with 17 years of experience, represents District 4 of LAUSD, including the communities of West Hollywood, Westchester, Venice, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, and Del Rey. Mr. Zimmer, a community advocate and intervention counselor, shared his future agenda for the district with Fairfax students, administrators, and guests.
The school orchestra and choir, led by Mr. Robert Read, gave a warm welcome with performances of The Sound of Music, Over There, and God Bless America. Fairfax administrators, assistant principals, and parent volunteers also gathered to welcome the representative.
Aside from Fairfax personnel, many distinguished community partners were present at the reception as well. Mr. Pierson Blaetz and Ms. Whitney Weston of Greenway Arts Alliances, Los Angeles Police Department’s Captain Davis, Park La Brea Apartments’ Mr. Boden, LAUSD district 4 member Ms. Hernandez, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and members of the National Council of Jewish Women all gathered to recognize Mr. Zimmer.
“Everyone in the community is invited,” said Ms. Joyce Kleifield, community representative of the Parent Center. “It’s important that community members feel comfortable here, and for them to feel like this is their school.”
Community is a factor that Mr. Zimmer emphasizes in his future plans for LAUSD schools. “Schools should be a community resource for the city and the city should be a community resource for the school district,” says Mr. Zimmer. “I’m hoping that this is one of the first opportunities we can have to build an ongoing partnership with the school district.” Mr. Zimmer believes that schools and communities know what is best for each other, and finds it crucial to his role as an elected official to maintain the issue of “access and service.”
Fairfax High School has already entered a joint use partnership with the city of West Hollywood. The city uses the school’s newly-renovated auditorium for city functions and performances. In return, the city provides Fairfax with other services. “But we’re still in the process of negotiating that,” said Ms. Kleifield.
Mr. Zimmer also discussed his unique outlook on the district’s current budget crisis. “When we begin thinking of our schools only in budgetary or business terms, we dehumanize public education.” He said. “Schools are communities. And when you cut that out of the budget and say this person or that person can be displaced because they’re just a position, public education fails. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Another one of his priorities is safe passages to and from school. Through his experiences as a counselor, Mr. Zimmer understands that unless students feel safe about the community surrounding their schools, they will not be able to achieve their best academically.
“We are LAUSD. If we understand that we have a sacred obligation to one another, and that there is a connectedness between the school and the community,” he said enthusiastically, “I have real confidence and optimism that we will not only get through this, but that we will become a model for the nation.”