UPDATE: Connie Llanos in the Daily News today quotes Supt. Cortines as saying he wants Inspector General audits limited to possible crimes -- not waste and inefficiency. Board member Marguerite LaMotte and UTLA President A.J. Duffy said the IG office is important and suggested Cortines' proposed cuts are too steep.
With billions of dollars to spend on school buildings and no money for anyone to teach him, LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines has decided the last thing he needs is someone to watch how he spends the money or how his administration performs its job.
Striking while Inspector General Jerry Thornton was out of town, Cortines sent a memo (Budget Reduction for Board of Ed Direct Report OIG.pdf)Monday to the School Board saying that he had examined the district's huge administrative budget and believes that "a reduction of 50 to 75 percent in the Office of the Inspector General is achievable."
That could slash Thornton's staff from about 70 to 15, making it impossible to track the billions of dollars the district has at its disposal for construction projects and the billions more it spends every year for salaries and educational programs.
Cortines' bold move to gut oversight -- culminating years of efforts to hamstring the IG's office -- comes as the LAUSD has eliminated summer school and is facing a massive budget deficit and the potential for laying off thousands of teachers.
He won't present his austerity budget to the board until later this month so his sinigling out the Inspector General came as a shock to those concerned about where the district is headed.
Thornton responded with a sharply-worded memo (Memo to Board on Budget Cuts.pdf)Tuesday, noting his office was created by the state Legislature as an independent watchdog and approved by the school board as an "independent voice that expresses its views without censorship by District Management.
"At a time when transparency and accountability are needed more than ever, the Superintendent's actions argue for less independent oversight of District Management, that is the Superintendent's management team."
Thornton offered a detailed analysis of the impact of possible cuts, saying a 50 percent cut would be "horrific ... and would essentially end the useful and beneficial operation of the office" while a 75 percent cut would be "catastrophic and would not permit OIG to function as a viable office.
Instead, he could reduce his budget by 22 percent from $6.7 million to $5.3 million and still operate his investigative, audit and contract review operations despite previous cuts.
"Investigations help prevent fraud, waste and misconduct and have a deterrent effect," he wrote, noting his investigators "ended a $20 million multi-year theft scheme from the Facilities Services Division" and a $37 million return on investment in the first six months of this fiscal year.
He concluded by noting the savings obtained by his nine-year-old office helps buy a lot of school supplies, books, desks, buses and pays a lot of teacher salaries.
With billions of dollars to spend on school buildings and no money for anyone to teach him, LAUSD Superintendent Ray Cortines has decided the last thing he needs is someone to watch how he spends the money or how his administration performs its job.
Striking while Inspector General Jerry Thornton was out of town, Cortines sent a memo (Budget Reduction for Board of Ed Direct Report OIG.pdf)Monday to the School Board saying that he had examined the district's huge administrative budget and believes that "a reduction of 50 to 75 percent in the Office of the Inspector General is achievable."
That could slash Thornton's staff from about 70 to 15, making it impossible to track the billions of dollars the district has at its disposal for construction projects and the billions more it spends every year for salaries and educational programs.
Cortines' bold move to gut oversight -- culminating years of efforts to hamstring the IG's office -- comes as the LAUSD has eliminated summer school and is facing a massive budget deficit and the potential for laying off thousands of teachers.
He won't present his austerity budget to the board until later this month so his sinigling out the Inspector General came as a shock to those concerned about where the district is headed.
Thornton responded with a sharply-worded memo (Memo to Board on Budget Cuts.pdf)Tuesday, noting his office was created by the state Legislature as an independent watchdog and approved by the school board as an "independent voice that expresses its views without censorship by District Management.
"At a time when transparency and accountability are needed more than ever, the Superintendent's actions argue for less independent oversight of District Management, that is the Superintendent's management team."
Thornton offered a detailed analysis of the impact of possible cuts, saying a 50 percent cut would be "horrific ... and would essentially end the useful and beneficial operation of the office" while a 75 percent cut would be "catastrophic and would not permit OIG to function as a viable office.
Instead, he could reduce his budget by 22 percent from $6.7 million to $5.3 million and still operate his investigative, audit and contract review operations despite previous cuts.
"Investigations help prevent fraud, waste and misconduct and have a deterrent effect," he wrote, noting his investigators "ended a $20 million multi-year theft scheme from the Facilities Services Division" and a $37 million return on investment in the first six months of this fiscal year.
He concluded by noting the savings obtained by his nine-year-old office helps buy a lot of school supplies, books, desks, buses and pays a lot of teacher salaries.
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.
The LAUSD also cut most of the Government Relations Dept, which is the group that knows all about the Stimulus Money, How it can be spent, and available Grants.
I have Dealt with the Inspector General's Office myself and wasn't thrilled with the outcome.
They did not do the investigation they said they would, and let down a whole Baseball Team of
Students. Cortines has rescheduled his appt with me, I have only been waiting since March, I am looking forward to our meeting on June 19th.
Pretty sad that a Community Education Representative would be treated that way.
Tired of waiting too long. Our Parents are joining the Parent Revolution. We see it as the only way to get the District to pay attention.
If the District gets any worse, We will be picking a Charter.
Every penny must go to the schools. The entire administrative bureaucracy must be abolished. The Superintendent, (The Great Justifier) is for himself, not the students or the schools.
http://www.examiner.com/x-3311-LA-Public-Education-Examiner~y2009m6d7-LAUSD-its-time-to-sell-Beaudry
Maybe Cortines just believes it can't get too much worse without those guys, so toss them overboard and save some money; maybe they haven't been saving any money anyway. What, if any report do they have for THEIR OWN performance?
Lots of administrators in government just do a lot of busy work among the real parts of their jobs; this could be one of those situations.
Actually, with all the building going on and the shrinking enrollment, the classroom space for many choosing charter schools will be right back in these schools, but with the charter school at the helm this time. Charters are public schools, so they get to use some of LAUSD faciities and there will be lots of extra space at the rate that building goes on, displacing people along the way as well, just to get the building sites.
While we do need the oversite, Where they heck were you when they built all these dam schools as they lay off staff to teach in them where is the oversite. it appears that you allowed the gang - Boy Villa, Cortines, and the rest of the crooks to do what they wanted and now they have no more use for you they chop your balls off and call you unecessary. As the dagger turns.
Time to go Charter. Keep our money in our communities and give our kids a better education.
Those that don't want an education, kick them out and teach them how to shovel dirt. After a few years, they'll want a better live and go back to school on their own. Let's quit being enablers.
Is the Inspector General effective? LAUSD is out of control. It is on the verge of of bankruptcy. Mountains of debt. Massive unfunded pension liabilities. Unbalanced budget. The educational program is sub par. The teachers are not accountable. Only half the budget hits the classroom. Facilities are not maintained, but the building program is the largest public works program in the country. But the union is doing just fine, collecting lots of dues and calling the shots because of its campaign contributions.
We need an independent, experienced, well funded Inspector General that can expose the real LAUSD!
LAUSD and the Union UTLA need to be blown up.
Charter schools, charter school, charter schools!
This is embarrasing. The City of L.A. used to be a premier city. Now the only people that want to live here are welfare collectors and the very rich that can aford to and don't give a damn about our city as the live behind closed, gated communities.
Now officials want to turn us into NYC. However, we need to do something about our crappy education first. Our money is being pilfered
as mass majority of our kids read at third grade lever. This is a disgrace.
Take back our education. Charter schools with parent controls is the only way to do it!
I don't understand why, considering the millions available through H.R. 1105 for education through various Federal agencies that LAUSD can't apply
to keep summer programs going for youth? It's absurd!
Look up this Omnibus bill and scan through all the funding opportunities for education for every conceivable notion.
I don't understand why, considering the millions available through H.R. 1105 for education through various Federal agencies that LAUSD can't apply
to keep summer programs going for youth? It's absurd!
Look up this Omnibus bill and scan through all the funding opportunities for education for every conceivable notion.