Its management is in chaos, it's being taken apart piece by piece and even the people who have most to gain don't support LAUSD's ridiculous $7 billion bond issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Feeble in its efforts at reform over three decades, the LAUSD and its endlessly swelling bureaucracy have lost the confidence even of its friends -- the people who stand to gain from yet another bond issue.
The rapidly expanding charter school organizations, the teachers union, even the head of the bond oversight committee have refused to endorse this money grab without a plan.
If ever there was a vote of "no confidence" in the district, the lack of support for this bond issue is it. And voters should take the cue and resoundingly defeat Measure Q -- aptly named for its questionable nature -- and send a message that it's time for radical change in public education in L.A.
Think about these facts:
LAUSD has put in $450 million for charter schools despite fighting them every inch of the way and making them go to court to get the money mandated by state law. And the charters still don't support the bond.
There's $1.8 billion to rebuild brand-new massive schools into smaller academies where kids might actually learn -- a goal long sought by genuine reformers but resisted by LAUSD -- and nobody is lining up to cheer.
Green Dot Charters led by Steve Barr supports the spending plan as it's written but doesn't trust the bureaucrats to deliver on its promise.
The California Charter School Association, which can build classroom space 33 percent cheaper than LAUSD and thus get more bang for the buck, has withheld support, saying it has "concerns about the effectiveness" of the plan and wants the district to embrace a broad policy that recognizes charters' ability to create more seats cheaper and faster.
Mike Piscal, founder and CEO of ICEF Public Schools, which operates 13 charter schools in South Los Angeles and is expanding rapidly, strongly opposes Measure Q.
Feeble in its efforts at reform over three decades, the LAUSD and its endlessly swelling bureaucracy have lost the confidence even of its friends -- the people who stand to gain from yet another bond issue.
The rapidly expanding charter school organizations, the teachers union, even the head of the bond oversight committee have refused to endorse this money grab without a plan.
If ever there was a vote of "no confidence" in the district, the lack of support for this bond issue is it. And voters should take the cue and resoundingly defeat Measure Q -- aptly named for its questionable nature -- and send a message that it's time for radical change in public education in L.A.
Think about these facts:
LAUSD has put in $450 million for charter schools despite fighting them every inch of the way and making them go to court to get the money mandated by state law. And the charters still don't support the bond.
There's $1.8 billion to rebuild brand-new massive schools into smaller academies where kids might actually learn -- a goal long sought by genuine reformers but resisted by LAUSD -- and nobody is lining up to cheer.
Green Dot Charters led by Steve Barr supports the spending plan as it's written but doesn't trust the bureaucrats to deliver on its promise.
The California Charter School Association, which can build classroom space 33 percent cheaper than LAUSD and thus get more bang for the buck, has withheld support, saying it has "concerns about the effectiveness" of the plan and wants the district to embrace a broad policy that recognizes charters' ability to create more seats cheaper and faster.
Mike Piscal, founder and CEO of ICEF Public Schools, which operates 13 charter schools in South Los Angeles and is expanding rapidly, strongly opposes Measure Q.
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Attorney Connie Rice, who heads the bond oversight committee, criticized the board and Supt. David Brewer for their lack of leadership and for pulling the bond issue together at the last minute so it could not be fully examined, the interests of charters protected and a coherent plan developed.
"In order for a bond to be carried out, you must have a superintendent that is fully engaged in a leadership position a full year before you even begin polling," she said in a recent interview. "We couldn't force the superintendent to become engaged; we begged him. He did not get engaged soon enough."
Whatever his faults, Brewer's authority has been totally undermined by the mayor's insertion of his education adviser, Ramon Cortines, into the district as the No. 2 man.
From all accounts, the situation within the bloated bureaucracy is muddled and confusing -- even more so than usual. With Brewer hanging on until they make him an offer he can't refuse, the mayor's team unwilling as usual to pay the politicial price of what they believe is the right thing to do.
A resounding defeat for this bond issue, which it deserves, will let the powers that be know the game is up for the LAUSD. Without that, the system will go on and on in its clumsy and inefficient way.
LAUSD needs to be blown up and a system that educate kids put in its place.
"L.A. Unified has treated charter schools inequitably," he said in a statement. "When 10 percent of the students are (in) charter students and within five years that will be 20 percent based on current projections, to deny one in five kids of this bond that all of their parents have to contribute to pay for it is unfair and unjust.
"Parents, are very upset that the district continues to deny bond funds to charter schools. The district cannot point to one project in all of Los Angeles where a charter school has been built with bond dollars. LAUSD has show that it is untrustworthy..."Attorney Connie Rice, who heads the bond oversight committee, criticized the board and Supt. David Brewer for their lack of leadership and for pulling the bond issue together at the last minute so it could not be fully examined, the interests of charters protected and a coherent plan developed.
"In order for a bond to be carried out, you must have a superintendent that is fully engaged in a leadership position a full year before you even begin polling," she said in a recent interview. "We couldn't force the superintendent to become engaged; we begged him. He did not get engaged soon enough."
Whatever his faults, Brewer's authority has been totally undermined by the mayor's insertion of his education adviser, Ramon Cortines, into the district as the No. 2 man.
From all accounts, the situation within the bloated bureaucracy is muddled and confusing -- even more so than usual. With Brewer hanging on until they make him an offer he can't refuse, the mayor's team unwilling as usual to pay the politicial price of what they believe is the right thing to do.
A resounding defeat for this bond issue, which it deserves, will let the powers that be know the game is up for the LAUSD. Without that, the system will go on and on in its clumsy and inefficient way.
LAUSD needs to be blown up and a system that educate kids put in its place.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the National Enquirer.
I see you were at the Chamber meeting today and James Hahn was there. Do I have that right?
James Hahn lost because he betrayed the people in the Valley ie: Secession. We still need to secede, but will never need Hahn or anyone else who is so self-important. That is why Villar must be voted out. And if Moore is voted in and acts the same way, he will need to escape by the back door, the people by then will have had it with politicians in Los Angeles. Riordan must also be included in that list. Mayor Sam was the only Mayor with principles that I can remember since 1955.
Even that tiny bit of money going to charters IF the voters are dumb enough to approve $7 billion more for LAUSD (about 7% of the total would go to charters) comes with lots of strings attached.
At the last LAUSD board meeting, a presentation made it clear that charters were expected to do much more with less because that was their track record. To appease the violently anti-charter Julie Korentstein and others like her, and UTLA's Duffy and leadership, this money (which is a decade overdue and too little too late to save their sinking ship) is given on the condition that charters are showing new ways to raise test scores faster, and their innovative techniques would then be used as appropriate by LAUSD.
It's absurd to attach this kind of obligation to the charter schools, which are still operating on a pittance, usually without the playgrounds, yards and art/ music/ computer specialists we pay for at LAUSD, in substandard facilities, or in classrooms that LAUSD schools reluctantly turn over to them, even part-time. Because of a lack of classroom space, there are still way too few charters operating out of schools we pay for but can't send our own kids to right now.
Besides being unfair that charters are held to a much higher performance level for much less money and with lower-paid teachers and bare facilities, the whole idea of charters is to be independent of LAUSD's bureaucracy and its rigid tests, rules and top-down layers of bureaucracy.
Of course every school wants to perform better than its LAUSD counterpart, but safety, small, caring classroom environments and teaching as teachers can do best without constantly teaching to the test are a big part of why charters outperform LAUSD.