LVUSD leader retiring

Paul Markowitz Paul Markowitz, the Las Virgenes Unified School District's elementary and middle school independent study teacher and co-president of the Las Virgenes Educators Association, has announced his retirement.

Markowitz launched his career with the district nearly 35 years ago. He started as a fifth grade teacher at White Oak Elementary in Westlake Village, where he served for seven years, followed by 15 years at Chaparral Elementary in Calabasas.

When Markowitz was elected to the California Teachers Association Board of Directors his career veered in a new direction. "Because I was gone literally half the time, it was difficult keeping up with class assignments," he said.

Markowitz accepted the new challenge of developing the district's Independent Study Program for elementary school students who for various reasons couldn't attend school in a typical classroom environment. A high school program had been introduced a year before, but the need for a more flexible environment for elementary and middle school students was emerging, Markowitz said.

"There are some students that the regular classroom program does not work for," Markowitz said. "(The Independent Study Program) is a niche that works for certain students. They have the ability to work independently, but for one reason or another have difficulty in the classroom."

He has created flexible curriculums for children with health issues and those who work in show business, and for athletes, including Olympic hopefuls who train vigorously every day.

Markowitz became LVEA's president for a short period in the early 1980s, but for the past five years he's shared the position with Sandra Pope.

"The association stands up for teachers and there are times when that is absolutely necessary," he said.

"When politicians, administrators and parents hammered teachers with anger and criticism, Paul Markowitz always acted as a teacher advocate by providing a strong voice, a calm demeanor, clarity in defining the issues and wisdom to resolve the problems," Pope said of Markowitz's leadership style.

While working for the Las Virgenes district has been rewarding, when Markowitz put on his LVEA hat to defend teachers' rights, his relationship with administrators sometimes got tough.

"Initially there was a lot of antagonism," he said of the tension between LVEA and the district. "Over the years defending our rights- as we should do- we have developed some considerable respect with the school district and school board members," he said. "Now we resolve our problems in a mature manner. We have come a very long way in how we deal with problems and come to agreement on thorny issues."

Superintendent Donald Zimring agrees. "Paul has been a driving force in Las Virgenes in helping shape the district and building a strong relationship with our teachers' bargaining unit," Zimring said. "He has been a leader at both the local and state levels in advancing the cause of public education. His insight into the political process and ability to problem-solve will be sorely missed."

"Over the years, I have known Paul to be straightforward and reasonable about district issues, and highly informed on state and federal education issues," said school board member Terilyn Finders. "He is calm, focused, accessible and willing to negotiate- what more can you ask for? I will miss working with him."

Despite the spats over bargaining agreements, Markowitz is proud of the quality of education students receive in Las Virgenes. "The district is such a wonderful district in terms of the education level, the community, the students," he said. "And everybody is very proud of the education programs here. It's why we can get parcel taxes passed at such high rates. The teachers here are spectacular."

Along with most other educators in California, Markowitz is very critical of the way schools are funded. With the passage of Proposition 13 in the late 1970s, California school budgets were "changed dramatically," he said. "(The legislation) took money away from local communities and sent it to Sacramento," he said.

At the "whim" of the state, budgets can be slashed or reduced if the economy slumps and the state receives less tax money, he said. "You can't plan a program when you don't know how much money you have even a few months in the future," Markowitz said. "It's become a zero sum game. There's a certain amount of money and each constituency fights for their share of those moneys."

Markowitz expects to stay busy during his retirement. A former book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times and Long Beach Press-Telegram, he now reviews books for online websites (armchairinterviews.com and Amazon.com).

Markowitz hopes to work with a group of retired and semiretired teachers who collaborate on the development of new coursework. He also volunteers on the EdSource Board of Directors. EdSource is an association that deciphers complex educational issues and policy matters for the public.

Retirement has its perks, but Markowitz expects to miss work. "I'll miss having contact with students who make life interesting," he said. But he said he didn't relish having to deal with the elimination of programs, teachers and staffers next year due to mandatory state budget cuts.