Laura Emdee is the only candidate in this race not endorsed by the politically influential teacher’s union, and she’s just fine with that. In fact, part of the reason she is running is to provide a voice on the school board that comes from outside the political establishment.
“Teachers and administrators all have a very big influence on the educational community,” she said. “Now, parents can vote for the school board, but it is usually very much decided by the teacher’s union who gets elected. So you need to have more parent, student, and community voices at the table. My goal is to provide that parent and community voice.”
Emdee emphasized that she holds teachers in high esteem. Emdee said that she has worked closely with many teachers through her involvement in the PTA.
“I think Redondo is the best school district in the South Bay,” she said. “We have the best teachers. We have the best programs. Look at the high school’s diverse community – if you look at the test scores in our diverse community, we are not supposed to be doing as well as we are doing. That right there speaks volumes.”
Emdee’s close involvement with the district began with the PTA. Her oldest son (now a student at UC Davis) attended Sand Tots nursery in Redondo Beach, a cooperative preschool in which parents participate in everything from the classroom to school administration. When he enrolled in RBUSD, she just assumed that level of involvement would be required at every school. She immediately joined the PTA.
“I was in the mindset to participate,” she said. “It’s funny. They were kind of cliquish. It was hard to break in. I was just kind of, ‘Well, I am not going to go away.’”
She has since served as president of Madison Elementary, Adams Middle School, and Redondo Council PTA, as well as various other capacities, such as secretary, treasurer, and auditor.
“You really learn our district on the PTA, and they teach you leadership skills,” she said. “It’s a real advocacy group…It’s a very honorable organization. You start out doing it for your own kid, and then you realize it’s for all kids.”
Her candidacy is an outgrowth of this advocacy. She rallied on behalf the city’s afterschool program a few years ago even though her own kids didn’t participate in it, and at the forefront of her priorities if elected would be catering more to the so-called “middle student” who may not be heading for college. Her own children were both AP students, but she is troubled by the fact that less than 45 percent of Redondo Union High School students are meeting the “A through G” requirements necessary to gain admission to a state university.
“Look, not everyone needs to go to college. I get that,” she said. “But everyone should have that choice when they graduate. They should have an education so that if they decided they want to go to college, they can go.”
Emdee said it’s a problem that must be approached from many angles, including examining a mindset in Redondo in which many kids aim for community college rather than the university system. She thinks counselors should work with students to develop a four-year plan, and parents and teachers need to help find modes of learning that best fit individual students.
“It really starts at middle school,” Emdee said. “I really want to go further in our schools to figure out how to instill self-motivation in kids, how to make them true students, inquiring students.”
Emdee has an undergraduate degree in economics as well as an M.B.A. and ran her own marketing firm for 15 years. She has quit her business in order to run for school board, but she hopes to bring her marketing expertise to bear in helping the district better get the word out about its programs and achievements. She noted that the district cut its entire public relations department almost 10 years ago.
“I’ve knocked on over 4,000 doors in this campaign, and do you know how many people have said, ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about the school district?’ How can they not know what is going on? And don’t get me wrong, the school district is trying, but we’ve got to find other ways to do it – remember, their jobs are to educate kids, not market themselves. I hope I can contribute that way.”
Emdee said improved communications would better involve the community when it comes time to seek financial help, as well – such as through the Redondo Beach Education Foundation’s fundraising drives – as the district negotiates through difficult budgetary circumstances.
“Look, Redondo Beach has already said, based on bonds being passed twice for the schools, that education is important,” Emdee said. “The community wants to help. They have pride in their schools. We just have to give them a clear plan how to do it.”
Emdee has also identified what she calls “good neighbor” issues concerning the district and residents. Foremost is the traffic and parking impacts surrounding Redondo Union High School.
“Have you ever tried to find a parking place on a Friday night when there is a football game in that area? It’s ridiculous,” she said.
She noted that Measure C has $1.7 million allocated to transportation and parking and said that the district needs to share how this money will be used. Emdee said she has met with the resident group Families for a Safe Redondo – which has also endorsed her – and believes that there are likely some simple, cost-free solutions that can alleviate problems more immediately.
“It’s just about common sense,” she said. “Let’s go figure out how to do it. There are smart people in Redondo. I’m sure we can come up with something. You’ve got to check your ego at the door and just figure it out.”
