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.
Continue reading LAUSD's $7 billion bond issue flunks everybody's test.
Ron Kaye