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| 4LAKids: Sunday, July 2, 2006 — Happy 4th! |  | | | In This Issue: | | • | MAYOR CLEARS HURDLE NO. 1, Senate Committee OKs LAUSD Bill | | | • | PARENTS APPLAUD, COMPLAIN AS LAUSD PROPOSAL ADVANCES | | | • | RUNNER AND RICHMAN OPPOSE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL FOR LAUSD: Proposal adds confusion and does not increase accountability | | | • | REPORT: CITY SPENDS $52M ON LAUSD SERVICES | | | • | EAST L.A. ADULT SCHOOL PROJECT ADVANCES WITH LESS PARKING | | | • | EVENTS: Be There at an Historic Creation & Inception …but NOT Conception! + Wed. July 5 is the 1st Day of School for 176,000 Students at 184 Schools. | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | Great moments in parent involvement: Mayor Villaraigosa, heckled, harassed and challenged by LAUSD parents opposed to the LAUSD takeover crafted in a Sacramento backroom by him and UTLA, took Superintendent Romer aside on Wednesday in the Senate hearing room. "You better control your parents," the Mayor said, "or I'll have them kicked out."
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From the Downtown News' mostly complimentary review of Antonio's first year, just ended: "Like many others, we're also concerned about Villaraigosa's role in education. The Sacramento compromise for the LAUSD seems underwhelming, perhaps alarming since there seems to be no clear oversight of the district's huge budget. Rather than a new era with clear accountability for the troubled schools, there is a lot of confusion over the future of the LAUSD. We expected better from someone who has talked so extensively about providing significant reform of the school district."
The Downtown News continues: "Another area where we have concern stems from the same public appearances we praise him for. While Villaraigosa has so far succeeded in getting some form of his measures passed, multiple elected officials have complained, always privately, about the mayor's tendency to take too much credit for matters in which he was not intimately involved, things he really didn't make happen. On more than one occasion, say leaders we respect, Team Villaraigosa has shown up at an event where another local official did months or years worth of heavy lifting. Yet when it came time for the project or initiative to be unveiled, their role was relegated to the background as Villaraigosa stood in front of the cameras. We understand that the mayor has rock-star status among much of the fawning media, but he should take care to step back and include the real doers. It will serve him and the city well in the long run."
More Downtown News re: the Mayor's 1st Year: "Certain tactics and stances make us uncomfortable, and that LAUSD compromise could well end up a Pyrrhic victory or worse. Still, he has laid the groundwork for significant change, and the role of being a true public leader cannot be underestimated. He's one year in, and he still has time to grow. We hope he knows he needs to do so."
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The exercise in Sacramento at the Senate Education Committee played out as well as could be expected on Wednesday. Committee members were unaccepting of the Romer/Canter communiqué of change-well-begun and predictably critical of LAUSD's progress and history. Parent concerns and the School Board Assocaition were acknowledged off-hand, entreaties for public hearings in LA ignored. The committee was bound and determined to "send a message"… and they did!
But the members individually expressed real doubts about the Mayoral/UTLA convoluted compromise and the legislation. They conceded that the constitutionality, accountability, oversight, creation of new layers of bureaucracy and conflicts-of-interest (…and specifics of the plan) are unknown and/or doubtful. And they voted it forward to the Appropriations Committee nonetheless.
There its fate is less certain. - smf
MAYOR CLEARS HURDLE NO. 1, Senate Committee OKs LAUSD Bill
by Harrison Sheppard, Sacramento Bureau, LA Daily News
June 29, 2006 — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's controversial Los Angeles school-takeover plan cleared one of its first significant legislative hurdles Wednesday, winning approval from the Senate Education Committee even as lawmakers, school officials and parents questioned whether it would really help schools.
The panel's 7-1 vote to let legislation move forward that would reshape the Los Angeles Unified School District came after more than 2 1/2 hours of impassioned testimony, including statements from dozens of parents opposed to the plan and bused to Sacramento by the district.
Some committee members said while they had concerns, they decided to let the legislation move forward - and get their questions addressed later in the process - to try to hit a tight deadline to fast-track the bill.
Several committee members who cited objections abstained from the vote.
"I think the Senate Education Committee voted for this bill because they realize something has to be done," Villaraigosa said. "We need to move forward; we need to work together. That's what today's vote was all about."
Villaraigosa's plan calls for creation of a council of mayors with veto power over the hiring and firing of the LAUSD superintendent. It also would create a new community partnership that would directly oversee three clusters of the lowest-performing schools.
The plan is a compromise from the mayor's original proposal to take more direct control of the district, yet still would give him significant power over the schools.
Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-San Luis Obispo, cast the only dissenting vote, saying he was "uncomfortable" with several of the bill's provisions and the pressure of a tight timeline to address them.
Proponents are seeking to institute the bill's provisions next year, but to do that the legislation would have to receive final approvals by Aug. 31, when the legislative session ends.
Maldonado cited one of the issues raised by Superintendent Roy Romer during the hearing - a $100 million lawsuit the district has pending against the city's Department of Water and Power over water rates.
"I think there's an inherent conflict of interest there, when you have a mayor who's appointing a superintendent who's going to be working with the city," Maldonado said. "I'm sure it can be fixed. I don't think it can be fixed today."
District officials who oppose the bill, led by Romer, argued that the district is making improvements on its own and that the mayor's plan would just lead to less accountability and confusion over who is in charge.
Romer said that in the past six years the district has built 50 schools and made vast improvements in Academic Performance Index scores, increasing by an average of 196 points while the state average was up by 126 points.
"The facts you've been given do not represent the facts about this district," Romer said. "This is not a district in status quo. This is one of the most active urban districts in the United States."
The district, under its Parent Collaborative program, bused more than 50 parents to Sacramento to oppose the bill. The parents wore yellow T-shirts that read "Parents - Not Politics!"
Fewer than a dozen parents showed up in support of the legislation.
Also speaking in opposition was Jeffrey Prang, a councilman from West Hollywood, who said he was representing the other cities in the LAUSD that have concerns a Los Angeles would become too powerful under the new system.
Under Villaraigosa's proposal, the mayor of Los Angeles would control about 80 percent of the votes on the council of mayors, based on the city's proportional share of the district, rendering the votes of the other cities essentially meaningless.
Villaraigosa has made mayoral control of the schools one of his highest priorities, tying the plan's success to his own political capital. A failure in the first legislative committee would have represented an embarrassing defeat for the mayor on one of his signature initiatives.
Clearing the first committee allows him some breathing room for at least a month as the Legislature goes into summer recess next week.
"He is investing himself in this proposal, without question," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California.
"He's using his energy, he's using his political chits. He's asking favors of people he's going to have to give political favors to. And the more he invests the more he has to invest, because he's in deeper and it will look worse if he fails after all this effort."
Villaraigosa still has several challenges to overcome to get the bill on the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has said he will sign it.
Assembly Bill 1381 by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Legislature is scheduled to start its one-month summer recess July 7, so the full Senate is not likely to take up the bill until August.
If passed in the Senate, it would then move to the Assembly for more committee hearings.
The ultimate deadline for final approval is Aug. 31, when the legislative session ends.
If passed by then, and signed by Schwarzenegger, it would likely take effect Jan. 1, 2007. If the bill is not passed by Aug. 31, it would be considered dead, though new legislation could be reintroduced when the new session begins in January.
PARENTS APPLAUD, COMPLAIN AS LAUSD PROPOSAL ADVANCES
►PANEL SEEKS COMPROMISES BUT APPROVES BASICS OF BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW MAYOR TO SELECT THE SUPERINTENDENT.
By Michael Gardner, Copley News Service | Daily Breeze
Thursday, June 29, 2006 -- SACRAMENTO -- As state lawmakers push ahead with a radical shake-up of the Los Angeles Unified School District, parents are as divided as the politicians over the plan promoted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The Senate Education Committee voted 7-1 Wednesday to approve the foundation of the mayor's proposal, but only after securing pledges to continue negotiating central pieces.
As it stands now, Assembly Bill 1381 would impose a broad power shift in the nation's second largest school district with 727,000 students. Generally, the mayor would be able to handpick a superintendent who, in turn, would be given new authority over many budget, curriculum and personnel decisions. The mayor also would have virtual control over 36 low-performing schools, stripping away board oversight of those campuses.
"Mayor Villaraigosa needs to focus on the city and crime," complained Sandra Chavez, a Hollywood-area mother of eight students. "That's why we voted for him -- to take care of the city, not LAUSD."
Chavez and about 50 other active parents have passionately lobbied lawmakers over the past couple of days in a trip sponsored by the Association of California School Administrators. They argue that a reform-minded board, only in power for six years, has made considerable gains but still needs more time.
If enacted, the reshaping plan would be evaluated and put up for legislative reauthorization.
Also, parents said Sacramento should not dictate change without first seeking voter permission.
"LAUSD is an easy dog to kick, but it's our dog," said Bill Ring, a Los Angeles father.
To counter the school board group, several parents and teachers also made the journey to the Capitol in support of the mayor's goals. They argue dropout rates are too high and test scores remain disappointing.
Mary Najera, a Boyle Heights parent, said she placed her youngster in a charter school out of frustration with the district. "It was failing. It's still failing," she said of LAUSD.
In the Senate committee, the wide vote margin was misleading.
Hearing the bill for the first time, senators said they had serious concerns. Among those: the extent of the mayor's authority, how a superintendent beholden to the mayor could fight the city over certain issues, and whether stripping the board of its powers is constitutional.
Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, said he is mostly intrigued by the proposed takeover of low-performing schools. "That is the heart of it," said Lowenthal, who voted yes to move the bill along as compromises are worked out. "I didn't see anything about how you pull something like that off."
For example, Lowenthal questioned what would happen if teachers needed to be shifted around or budget deals have to be struck. Lowenthal praised LAUSD for its "great strides" on other campuses, however.
Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Daly City, said she was concerned that power would be centralized. "It's going to be more top-down than it's ever been, with you in charge," Speier told Villaraigosa.
Where similar takeovers have occurred, "there is less parent engagement" and "school boards become rubber stamps," she said.
Only one student appeared at the hearing, Barbara Hernandez of Los Angeles, who dropped out but graduated from an alternative school last week. "I struggled with school because of family issues, not because of how LAUSD was structured," said Hernandez, who wants to be a school principal.
"I ask you, Mayor Villaraigosa, not to point the finger, but open your eyes," she said, citing crime and lack of after-school programs as major problems.
Some longtime educators contacted after the hearing also split.
Jim Lanich, who lived in San Pedro until this week, supports the mayor's bid in all three of his roles as a parent, former teacher and as the head of a business-oriented coalition in Sacramento. Los Angeles Unified, he said, has failed to raise grade level scores in key subject areas.
"The parent's job is to get the child to the school door," Lanich said. "It's the school's job from there."
A seventh-grade teacher for eight years in San Pedro, Lanich said it's important to provide those in the classroom with the flexibility to select programs that fit the needs of students. A districtwide curriculum does not reach everyone, he said. "There needs to be more materials tailored to the kids."
LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer has repeatedly pointed out that the district has to impose broad standards because so many of the students, perhaps as many as one in four, relocate. Continuity is important for the students so they are not lost in their new classes, Romer said.
As a representative of business, Lanich said companies need to be concerned about the 727,000 students in LAUSD who represent a huge bloc of the state's future work force.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell opposes the current version, saying it would create confusion over who would be responsible for what. O'Connell said he would prefer that Villaraigosa either return to his earlier czar-like plan so that voters, teachers and parents know who's in charge. Or, he said, the mayor should drop this proposal and work closely with the board to enact "a collaborative structure" that can unify all interests.
"One or the other," O'Connell suggested. "This hybrid defuses accountability."
Suspicious parents, like Jeannette Hopp of Van Nuys, sharply criticized Villaraigosa for introducing the plan, which they interpret as a bid for more power over $19 billion in school construction projects and as a platform to run for governor in 2010.
Parents of disabled children also rallied against the measure, saying it could lead to even more developmentally challenged students being shunted off. They are incensed over a provision in the mayor's proposal that places the special education program under a section labeled "leftovers."
"It shows a lack of understanding and a lack of compassion," Hopp said.
Rosa Mendoza, a mother of two, said her daughter is getting better grades and she has confidence in the board and superintendent.
Teachers, though, complain of a "stone wall" erected by the school board when they ask for flexibility and changes in the classroom, particularly for those who do not speak English.
"They don't seem to trust teachers," said Kelley Budding, a school site coordinator in south Los Angeles.
Yvonne Mariajimenez, a San Fernando Valley parent, said the measure will lead to more involvement.
"The heart of this bill is it brings together parents and teachers and administrators," she said. "Parents do not have a voice in L.A. Unified right now."
RUNNER AND RICHMAN OPPOSE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL FOR LAUSD: Proposal adds confusion and does not increase accountability
From Hometownstation.com | KHTS AM 1220
July 1, 2006 - (SACRAMENTO) --- Senator George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) and Assemblyman Keith Richman (R-Northridge), who both represent portions of San Fernando Valley, oppose the newest proposal by the Mayor of Los Angeles to take control of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The proposal will do little to increase the accountability and just adds more confusion for parents. "Adding more layers of government with no new accountability is not a solution. This proposal leaves parents in my district with even less input and just adds more confusion as to who is ultimately accountable to them and their children," said Runner. Runner and Richman offered a compromise that would allow mayoral control of the school district for five years and then allow the voters to decide whether they want to keep mayoral control or opt to split up LAUSD into smaller, community-oriented districts.
"The Mayor's new plan is even worse than his old plan," said Assemblyman Richman. "It further blurs the lines of accountability, creates more bureaucracy, and leaves open the question of who is in charge. Our proposal to break-up LAUSD will bring accountability to the community, parents and students." Runner and Richman will continue to work with the Mayor and all interested parties to find a compromise that will provide parents with more control of their children's schools. They authored legislation this year that would break up LAUSD into smaller, more accountable school districts.
REPORT: CITY SPENDS $52M ON LAUSD SERVICES
by Kerry Cavanaugh, Staff Writer, LA Daily News
From crossing guards to conflict resolution training, the city spends more than $52 million a year for services that help the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to a city report released Friday.
It's a big bill and some City Councilmembers said Friday they want LAUSD to reimburse at least some of the expenses.
"They need to start offering a hand back to us if they want to find some support around the city," said Councilman Greig Smith.
The report comes as the district finds itself under fire as the target of a takeover and reform effort by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Smith requested the report last September after city staff and resources were sent to help quell violence at local high schools. At the same time, the school district refused to build more parking or traffic controls at a proposed Granada Hills high school, despite community concern about traffic jams.
"They need to show us a little more respect than they've shown us in the past,'' Smith said of the school district. ``If they don't start showing us some respect then we might have to start seeking reimbursement for some of these services.''
But LAUSD officials said the report and Smith overlook the concessions and services the school district has provided to the city.
``I'm rather shocked by the report. It's our belief that we have bent over backwards to be a good neighbor,'' said Kevin Reed, LAUSD general counsel.
According to the report, the city's engineering, transportation, planning, community development, police, human relations, and water and power departments spend about $109 million per year for LAUSD support services.
The LAUSD reimburses the city for about half of those costs or $56.7 million, primarily for water and power bills, and engineering fees to review school building projects.
The city's Recreation and Parks Department didn't provide cost estimates for its services, but said the school district uses city ballfields, gyms and pools.
That leaves the city with roughly $52.3 million in unreimbursed services. Those include:
• About $72,000 in engineering fees waived
• About $9 million for crossing guards at busy intersections near schools
• $3.8 million for maps showing walking routes to school and maintaining school warning signs and school loading zone signs
• Nearly $15 million from the city's general fund for LA's Best afterschool program and LA Bridges gang prevention program
• $5.3 million for 36 LAPD officers who respond to incidents at LAUSD campuses (they do other police work as well)
• $700,000 for booking roughly 2,100 suspects arrested by LAUSD police in the LAPD jail
• $610,000 for mediation and conflict resolution training with LAUSD students, parents and teachers following school violence
In the city report, City Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka recognized the substantial costs the city spends on services for LAUSD, but he recommended against pushing the district to pay up.
Most of the services are part of the city's core mission and responsibilities, he wrote. Plus, the school district partners with the city and provides its own services to city residents.
``Requesting reimbursement for the city's portion of the partnerships could undermine the cooperative relationship and ultimately result in a dimished level of service,'' Fujioka wrote.
▲ OK – All seriousness aside: We are talking $52.3 Million here. That's 1.1% of the city budget, or the cost of running LA for four days. The majority of that goes for after school programs (which both the current and previous mayor rank as great personal achievements!) and for crossing guards, police work and safety relating to schools – protecting and serving citizen taxpayers of Los Angeles – albeit young ones …almost all off campus.
We are embarked on a Great New Wonderful Tomorrow of City-School District Cooperation …but the City wants to be paid back?
• How much do they propose charging for all the Mayor and his staff's time recently spent on his hostile takeover attempt?
• How much for the multiple airfares up to Sacramento and the rental on back rooms?
• How much for running off press releases?
• Is this like a consultancy thing? Will the mayor and his staff now bill for time spent thinking thinking about school district business?
• And now "some City Councilmembers" are thinking? City councilpeople make about $75. an hour plus benefits – and they can't think without staff help (they get 28 staff employees each).
• When are all those bills due?
And then there is that pesky lawsuit where LAUSD claims they were overbilled $900 million (Not $100 million as reported in MAYOR CLEARS HURDLE NO. 1 - above) by DWP – a city agency, run by the mayor. LAUSD has paid the $900 million – because if they didn't DWP would've turned off the power and the water to the schools! It's gotta take some serious time and effort to overbill almost $1 billion …but to bill for overbilling is the kind of thing only defense contractors attempt. But there is a lawsuit – with lawyers and court costs and consultants. That's gotta be costing the City some money – better charge LAUSD for that!
Laura Chick notwithstanding, LAUSD has a balanced budget even though they may have overpaid DWP and the City $900 million. And the City of LA runs a deficit of $300 million – even with the disputed $900 million in their treasury.
The $52.3 Million ain't gonna fix that! - smf
EAST L.A. ADULT SCHOOL PROJECT ADVANCES WITH LESS PARKING
By Selene Rivera, EGP Staff Writer | Eastside Sun | Northeast Sun
May 30, 2006 - During a special informational meeting held in East Los Angeles Tuesday. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials informed members of the local community and future students that a new study has determined there’s no need to build an additional parking structure at the future site of the East Los Angeles Star Adult School.
LAUSD has also determined that the site will have 50 and not 72 classrooms as earlier announced. Since the future adult high school to be located on the site for the former ELA Star Hospital at 319 North Humphreys will have fewer classrooms then originally planned, fewer parking spaces are needed,” say LAUSD officials, adding there is currently enough on and off campus parking available.
The “reason we have less classrooms is because a major portion of the facility is going to be preserved as a hospital facility and a training lab for students,” said LAUSD Development Manager Thomas J, Calhoun to about 50 students and residents who attended the meeting.
But residents in attendance at the meeting disagreed with the plan for less parking, saying they do no want students parking on their quiet residential streets.
“Don’t forget that these are our properties and you are invading our tranquility. It’s not fair for residents to have to park far from their homes because students will be using residential parking too,” said Olivia Hernandez, a resident living near the future school.
The Environmental Impact Report Traffic Impact Study “shows that there’s adequate parking on-site and off-site within a quarter mile of the project without the construction of a parking structure,” according to LAUSD.
Calhoun pointed out that the new school will have 326 parking spaces on site and a minimum of 246 parking spaces available off site. The 572 parking spaces exceeds the minimum requirement of 469 spaces for 1,500 students.
“I’ve gone to many meeting like this one and this situation bothers me… are you really making sure residents have parking available?, resident Louis Martinez asked LAUSD officials.
Calhoun also said there is not enough money in the project to pay for the additional parking residents want.
Currently, the budget for the school is $44 million, $7 millions more than the original budget. Adding a parking structure could push the cost of the project to about $54 million, according to Calhoun.
Local activists asked LAUSD officials how it is possible to have property, have a vision for the property, but not have the money for the vision? They asked officials to work closer with the district’s Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE) to find the additional money needed. Calhoun responded, “We are looking for more funding to provide a parking structure.”
DACE program administrator, Dominick Cistone, also responded, saying, “We didn’t have to move from those locations [one of them being the East Side Learning Center and the other being the Los Angeles Occupational Center] but we chose to help the school district by giving up those properties, so they could build schools and seats for local children in the community.”
Cistone said that the Adult Division does not support the removal of parking from residents. “We do need parking here and there’s no question about it.”
Residents and students stressed it’s important to build a parking structure at the new school, not only to avoid causing problems for local residents, but, but also for safety reasons.
Calhoun said that the project will be presented on Thursday June 29 to the Facilities Committee and then to the LAUSD board for final approval on July 11.
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▲smf notes: As an overseer of the expenditure of the school construction bonds I applaud the Facilities Division of LAUSD in trying to save money and contain costs wherever they can. I believe that the decision reached between the instruction and construction folks at LAUSD to reduce the number of classrooms at East LA Star Adult School and retain the existing hospital facilities to better train and prepare students for careers in the health services field was the correct one.
However I have concerns about the decision to eliminate the parking structure from the project. I question the numbers and the assumptions - and the impact of on-street parking in the neighborhood. But my real issues are about the process; especially as the community - which has been engaged in the site selection and programming of the project - was neither involved nor consulted. They were simply informed at the last minute. That's how it is done in New York City under Mayoral Control.
EVENTS: Be There at an Historic Creation & Inception …but NOT Conception! + Wed. July 5 is the 1st Day of School for 176,000 Students at 184 Schools.
►The following open invitation is being forwarded verbatim as forwarded to me. I am unsure of the message that will come from Steve Barr – founder of Green Dot Charter Schools - but I have great wonderment at the level of involvement from the Charter School Community in the debate over Mayoral Control in LAUSD.
We all, parents, educators and the community have much to learn from the charter school movement – and I know we all share in a wish for the success of all children. Nonetheless charter schools are already outside the control of the LAUSD Board of Education and bureaucracy …and would remain outside Mayoral Governance. Yet busloads of parents from charter schools often materialize to support the mayor's message – and the mayor often uses charters as a backdrop for his "Here I am to Save the Day" message.
Further, the concept of an LA Parents Union is not original to Mr. Barr – Bill Ring, chair of the LAUSD Parent Collaborative has been suggesting it for a least five years. I spoke to Bill Saturday AM … and he is surprised as the rest of us by this "historic creation!" - smf
Please join Steve Barr, Founder of the Small Schools Alliance and united parents throughout Los Angeles
to Announce the historic creation of
“The Los Angeles Parents Union”
Thursday, July 6th, 2006
8:30 am
Los Angeles World Trade Center
350 S. Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Please join concerned parents citywide to announce the inception of the Los Angeles Parents Union and its support of small, safe schools in every community in L.A.!
Breakfast Provided
Directions: The Los Angeles World Trade Center is located Downtown on the corner of Third St. and Figueroa Blvd.
Please park in the parking lot of the LA World Trade Center off of Figueroa.
________________
►There are no meetings scheduled on the LAUSD Master Calendar for next week – even though Wednesday July 5th is the First Day of School or the First Day Back To School – and the beginning of the 2006-07 school year – for 176,000 LAUSD students who attend 184 campuses that operate on year-round calendars. That's 46,000 more students than will go to school in San Diego Unified – the state's second largest district – when that program returns in September.
More than 9,300 students will attend twelve new schools scheduled to open in 2006-07.
The new campuses are part of LAUSD’s $19.2 billion school construction program to reduce overcrowding and return schools to the full 180-day instructional calendar. When the building program is completed in 2012, it should bring an end to year-round calendars and return all schools to the traditional, two-semester schedule.
________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213.633.7493
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213.633.7616
What can YOU do?
►CONTACT YOUR ASSEMBLYPERSON AND STATE SENATOR [link below to find them]. Tell them what you think about their wasting their time, effort and the taxpayer's money on the mayor's attempt at takeover or makeover – an effort that is patently unconstitutional and will never survive a court challenge. Their time, the mayor's time, the board of education's time – all of our time, thinking and hard work - is better spent working together rather than at odds to continue and support the very real efforts at reform already begun. Their time is better spent helping LAUSD find a new superintendent, guaranteeing an improved funding stream for all California schools and helping kids in the classroom, on the playground; during, before and after school.
• LAUSD ASSEMBLY DELEGATION
Assemblymember.Richman@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Montanez@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Levine@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Pavley@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Koretz@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Frommer@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Liu@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Goldberg@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Nunez@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Bass@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Ridley-Thomas@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Chu@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.DeLaTorre@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Richman@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Horton@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Lieu@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Karnette@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember.Oropeza@assembly.ca.gov
• LAUSD SENATE DELEGATION
Senator.Alarcon@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Scott@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Cedillo@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Kuehl@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Romero@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Vincent@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Murray@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Lowenthal@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Bowen@senate.ca.gov
Senator.Escutia@senate.ca.gov
• TO DETERMINE WHO YOUR ASSEMBLYPERSON & SENATOR IS & GET THEIR ADDRESS PHONE & FAX NUMBERS:
http://192.234.213.69/smapsearch/framepage.asp
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Marlene.Canter@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
- office vacant - • 213-241-6180
Julie.Korenstein@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Mike.Lansing@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Jon.Lauritzen@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
David.Tokofsky@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think!
Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• Vote.
| |  |
| Scott Folsom is a parent and parent leader in LAUSD. He is President of Los Angeles 10th District PTSA and represents PTA as Vice-chair the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He serves on various school district advisory and policy committees and is a PTA officer and/or governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is also the elected Youth & Education boardmember on the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council.
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