Editor,
I was dismayed to see so much of the recent Current in Carmel devoted to Alvin Lui and “Unify Carmel,” particularly as the lengthy piece came immediately after the paper ran a two-page paid advertisement by the same group which contained very misleading graphs on the state of our schools.
Like Mr. Lui, I, too, relocated to Carmel in late 2020. Like Mr. Lui, I, too, had heard great things about the school system here, which contributed greatly to our decision to choose Carmel as our new home.
Unlike Mr. Lui, however, I actually enrolled my children in Carmel Clay Schools. Unlike Mr. Lui, I have a front row seat to Carmel’s education system, with children at both the elementary and middle school levels and needn’t rely on rumor or hearsay. And what I’ve seen in CCS are teachers that are communicative and supportive and children that are thriving and learning.
Mr Lui and Unify Carmel claim that CCS is not accessible or responsive to parents, but by his own admission he was able to secure a meeting with Supt. Michael Beresford in 2020, despite having no children in the school system. Additionally, Unify Carmel’s school board meeting “theatrics” (to use Mr. Lui’s own term) occurred during public comment periods of board meetings. That doesn’t sound like an issue of access. That sounds like an issue of the school board not capitulating to Mr. Lui’s “immediate demands” (to borrow another of his quotes).
I would like to see Current devote some space to the individuals who have devoted their entire lives and careers to the education and well-being of children, who know far better than any outside parent how best to build a curriculum and instruct a child. I would like to see Current devote some space to the parents of actual CCS students, the parents attending PTA meetings, volunteering at bake sales and book fairs, interacting with teachers and educators and being active participants and supporters of Carmel Clay Schools.
Erin Retif, Carmel
