In This Issue:  | | • | Having your Kate ...and Edith too: MILLION$ LOST AS LAUSD KIDS DECLINE LUNCH + SCHOOL LUNCH SYSTEM OPEN TO FRAUD + MEAL PROGRAM HAS PROBLEMS | | | • | SCHOOL AUTONOMY MOVING AHEAD IN WESTCHESTER | | | • | ASKED AND ANSWERED: DAVID L. BREWER - The Wave Interview | | | • | Beating the Ethical Conundrum: LEGACY MAY IMPEDE NEW CHARTER OFFICIAL | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | Ramnath Subramanian, a sixth-grade science teacher writes the El Paso Times on school reform and suggests a New Year's Resolution that resonates far beyond West Texas and echoes beyond the cusp of '07–'08:
In his book "The Great Game," John Steele Gordon informs the reader about an interesting exchange that took place between famed banker J.P. Morgan and a congressional committee's counsel regarding the workings of Wall Street.
"Is not commercial credit based primarily upon money or property?" the counsel asked.
"No, sir," Morgan replied. "The first thing is character."
Character demands that its owner speak the truth plainly and directly.
The Truth Is Simple: Public education in America, based primarily upon money and test scores, is in shambles. Whether one looks at failing schools, or at passing schools that are graduating students who are ill-prepared for college, the lack of character is near-ubiquitous and deeply troubling. These facts must be acknowledged before any reform initiative can take shape and move forward.
SUGGESTED NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION FOR TOP SCHOOL-DISTRICT OFFICIALS: Recognize that delivering a robust education makes larger demands on "character" than it does on political and managerial acumen.
Subramanian adds in clever afterthought: "It would not surprise me if one day the El Paso district appointed an 'associate superintendent of difficult issues.' This person's job would be to smooth out the daily wrinkles in the muddle of education."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We must recognize that only talented and engaged principals, teachers and parents —working together and not at-odds — given full autonomy and a clear sense of direction, can assuage the crisis in education.
J.P. Morgan redux: "When you expect things to happen - strangely enough - they do happen."
Something to ponder as we venture onward into 2008. ~smf
Having your Kate ...and Edith too: MILLION$ LOST AS LAUSD KIDS DECLINE LUNCH + SCHOOL LUNCH SYSTEM OPEN TO FRAUD + MEAL PROGRAM HAS PROBLEMS
• LOST IN THE CATSKILLS DILEMMA: There is an old Catskills Comedy Circuit joke about a couple of little old ladies complaining about the food at one of the upstate resorts.
- FIRST LOL: "The food here is so terrible!"
- SECOND LOL: "Yes …and the portions are so small!"
4LAKids' favorite education-critic mavens at the Daily News bring us a similar shtick this week: LAUSD is remiss because it doesn't file as many applications as it should for the Federal Lunch Program (MILLION$ IN FEDERAL FUNDS LOST…) — and there is a danger that LAUSD may be aiding and abetting fraud in sending in too many applications (SCHOOL LUNCH SYSTEM FOUND OPEN TO FRAUD). To which I'm sure many kids would add that the food is pretty bad and they aren't given enough time to eat it!
The Federal School Lunch Program is probably the most convoluted bureaucratic minefield in public education; not run by anyone in education but instead by the Agriculture Department - the wonderful folks who subsidize the growing of tobacco and pay farmers for not growing other crops. The nutritionists who declared in September 1981 that ketchup on a hamburger in a school meal qualified as a serving of vegetables!
The Daily News Editorial LAUSD'S MEAL PROGRAM HAS PROBLEMS is correct, there is much wrong with the school lunch program in LAUSD - but most of it lies in Washington DC administrivia - perhaps with a small squeeze of blame assignable to the teacher's union - who negotiate the kids' meal periods! ~smf
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►MILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS LOST AS LAUSD KIDS DECLINE LUNCH
by Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer | LA Daily News
December 26, 2007 - Los Angeles Unified School District is forfeiting millions of dollars in federal funds because just half of its eligible students are taking advantage of a lunch program in which kids eat for free or at reduced prices, the Daily News has learned.
While 74 percent of the district's 700,000 students are estimated to be eligible for the federal program that subsidizes meals for low-income students, only 37percent of those in middle schools and high schools participate, LAUSD officials said. Despite higher participation by elementary students, the total rate lags far behind that in other large urban school districts - adding pressure on the LAUSD as it strains to boost food services on an increasingly tight budget.
"What is outrageous is that this is an absolute necessity and a valuable service, ... and I'm concerned we have a low participation rate because administrative costs are great, and we haven't made the necessary investments," school board President Monica Garcia said.
"Here is a resource that would help our children to learn, and we're not getting it done. It is a great reflection of the kind of change we need and how our overall mission of graduating more students can improve by taking advantage of resources available.
"It's a reflection of a system that's not fully functional."
While officials had no exact figure for the overall funds the LAUSD is losing out on, they noted that the district receives $2.07 to $2.47 for each free and reduced-price meal served. More than 500,000 LAUSD students are eligible, so if only about half participate, it equates to a loss of more than $100million per year.
Officials attributed the dismal participation rate to a variety of factors, including shorter lunch periods, a social stigma associated with the special lunch tickets and long lines that dissuade many students from eating at all.
"At the elementary level, the kids have a longer lunch period and more access to a meal, but in high school they have the tickets, but many choose not to use them, embarrassed that they are on free lunches," LAUSD's business manager, Michael Eugene, said.
"There are households who may be eligible (but) choose not to be in the program. They could be in poverty, and we wouldn't know."
According to a study this year by the Council of the Great City Schools, LAUSD's secondary-student participation rate ranked 12th lowest among 20 of the country's largest urban public school districts.
Just 41.8 percent of LAUSD's secondary students who qualified took advantage of the program, according to 2004-05 data from the council - far short of the 66.2percent in the district with highest participation.
The council estimated LAUSD's total participation rate at 53.3percent, well below the median 59.6percent nationwide and even further behind the highest rate of 89.1percent.
"We're very concerned about students not participating in the program because we know, in some cases, our students may not have a breakfast or lunch if it wasn't for this program," said Dennis Barrett, director of LAUSD's food services.
And for the district, if more students participated in the program, the additional federal funds would allow the LAUSD to achieve its meal-program goals.
In lean financial times, the superintendent has been forced to go back into the budget this year to find $80million for cafeteria worker benefits approved by the school board.
Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, said he believes the LAUSD is losing a "substantial amount."
"It is evidence that the district needs to work on both sides of the equation at the same time - both the revenue side and ... nutrition side," Casserly said.
"They are pretty aware of their shortfall on the revenue side after they started to benchmark their participation rates against other major cities' (rates)."
District officials said they hope to significantly improve the participation rate by introducing an electronic system that would eliminate students' use of paper tickets and offer more anonymity when kids get subsidized meals.
The school board is expected next month to consider whether to buy the system, which would be rolled out at schools over the next couple of years. The district is also considering creating multiple lunch periods to gain shorter lunch lines, more available seating and better-quality food.
In the past two years, the district also has changed the application form to apply to an entire household, rather than individual students, and it has started mailing applications directly to parents and making them available at school sites.
District officials also have launched a campaign to encourage kids and parents to apply, and applications are sent in both English and Spanish, Barrett said.
At about 135 schools with a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, a program allows parents to fill out applications only the first year, Barrett said. An additional 154 schools were added this year.
"The administrative challenge for LAUSD is significant," Garcia said. "Some may argue that's not our role, but we have to be more aggressive in reaching out and targeting these students."
The district also has to determine a way to boost its lunchtime efficiencies at school sites that might have as many as 3,000 students vying to get meals from fewer than a dozen lunch lines in just 20 minutes.
"The milk and fruit they get at these schools may be it," she said.
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►SCHOOL LUNCH SYSTEM FOUND OPEN TO FRAUD
by Naush Boghossian and Lisa Friedman, Staff Writers| LA Daily News
December 26, 2007 - While the $8.2 billion national school lunch program is designed to provide meals to needy students, the system is fraught with loopholes that leave it open to rampant fraud.
A recent government report said verification remains a problem in the program that provides about 6.6 billion meals to kids each year at a cost of about $10.2 billion.
To participate in the program, parents complete applications listing their income. Random verification checks are performed, but from 2005 to 2006, the study found slightly more than one student in five students who applied and got served was actually ineligible - at a cost of $935 million.
"Several data sources suggest that a significant number of ineligible children are receiving free or reduced-price meals," the auditors wrote.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials, who sought verification for 8,000 applications last year, said they are in full compliance with the law.
"Is there a potential to falsify income in any system in which you gather individual data and don't review 100 percent of the applications? Yes, that risk exists," said Michael Eugene, LAUSD's business manager.
"(But) since we're in full compliance, our major focal point is to get meals to those students who need it."
The federal government requires school districts to audit 3percent of applicants from families whose income falls within $100 of the cutoff - those believed to be the most prone to reporting errors.
A child from a family of four making $26,845 or less qualifies for the free-lunch program, while $38,203 is the limit for reduced-price lunches.
Last year, LAUSD sent verification letters to about 8,000 households. Of those, 1,700 didn't respond, 176 went from the free to the reduced-price category, and only 36 were changed to full-pay status, said Dennis Barrett, director of food services at LAUSD.
Those who didn't respond - nearly 25 percent of those sent verification letters - were removed from the program.
But Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said the program should have more safeguards to limit potential fraud.
"We all know that there's going to be some level of fraud," Coupal said. "There should be more significant consequences for defrauding a program like that, and we rarely see that kind of consequences flow from fraud.
"The ultimate goal is to make sure that taxpayers aren't being ripped off while at the same time trying the achieve the objective of the program."
The last time Congress examined how the government verifies the income of families applying for free and reduced-price lunches was in 2004 as lawmakers prepared to reauthorize the program.
A number of federal audits found vast discrepancies between the census counts of low-income households and the number of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches.
A study five years ago in New York City's school district, only one larger than the LAUSD, found about $100 million in potential losses.
While the Bush administration proposed strict new verification measures, advocates for the poor questioned the veracity of the studies and accused the administration of swiping tater tots out of the fingers of poor children.
"The kinds of steps that were being considered were the types of things that would drive a lot of eligible families away," said Zoe Neuberger, a senior policy analyst at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities think tank in Washington, D.C.
Those intent on eliminating government waste, however, argued - and still do - that maintaining a program's fiscal integrity is critical.
"Showing a pay stub shouldn't be too much to ask," said Brian Reidl, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank who in 2003 estimated tighter income verification measures could save the program and the country $12 billion over 10 years.
He and other conservatives argued that schools either boosted free-lunch participation or turned a blind eye to likely inaccuracies because the numbers act as a measure for poverty rates - which in many cases determines how much a school gets in funding for everything from books to teachers.
Neuberger said she doesn't expect Congress to take another big crack at income verification until the next reauthorization of the program in 2009.
But she and others said they don't expect a severe crackdown.
"There are fairness concerns; there are budgetary concerns," Neuberger said. But, she added, "There is almost agreement across the board that it is important to make the free and reduced-lunch program accessible to kids."
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►LAUSD'S MEAL PROGRAM HAS PROBLEMS
Daily News Editorial
December 28, 2007 - It's hard to know what's worse - that hundreds of thousands of LAUSD students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches don't get them, or that tens of thousands who do get them shouldn't.
While 74 percent of the Los Angeles Unified School District's 700,000 students could be eligible for subsidized meals for low-income students, only 37percent of those in middle schools and high schools participate.
The district receives between $2.07 and $2.47 for each subsidized meal served. But since only about half of the 500,000 students who qualify participate, that amounts to a loss of $100 million a year - funds that could be staving off hunger and providing the basic nutrition that schooling demands.
Meanwhile, a recent federal report finds that slightly more than one in five students who received a subsidized lunch last year weren't, in fact, eligible for the benefit. Nationwide, that fraud amounts to a $935 million hit, at least.
Compounding the problem is that the federal government uses the number of students receiving subsidized meals to determine how much special funding districts can get for everything from books to teachers. That gives schools little incentive to crack down on fraud.
So when school districts such as the LAUSD have needy kids not getting their aid, the districts themselves will lose valuable funding. Meanwhile, wealthier districts stand to get more than they deserve through fraud.
The problem is double-edged: To qualify for the meals, parents must fill out forms documenting their income. Some eligible families are too proud, or too uninformed to do so, and don't. And some shameless families that don't need the help take advantage of loopholes and lax enforcement to get a "free" lunch.
Under federal law, school districts must verify income levels for only 3 percent of the program's enrollees. For the LAUSD, that means checking up on some 8,000 students - out of roughly a quarter-million each year.
Even when families are caught taking advantage of the system, there is no serious consequence. In the LAUSD, they're no longer allowed to keep getting free or reduced-price meals, but that's all.
There are no easy answers to this problem. The LAUSD is looking at ways to protect the identity of kids getting subsidized meals, so as to reduce the social stigma and encourage more to participate. But it's hard to know whether that would make a difference - other districts don't seem to have the same problem with getting their kids to participate.
Meanwhile, tougher enforcement measures could help deter fraud, but can also have the effect of deterring eligible families from applying.
Still, the amount of money wasted - and the vast extent of needs left unmet - bespeak a compelling need for reform.
SCHOOL AUTONOMY MOVING AHEAD IN WESTCHESTER
by Gary Walker | The Argonaut
Friday, December 28, 2007 - Parents and teachers at Kentwood Elementary School, Orville Wright Middle School and the magnet school at Orville Wright continue to bask in the afterglow of the December 11th vote for independence from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which many view as a critical first step for their schools and students to reach their full academic potential.
As the next phase of navigating these uncharted waters begins, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) has promised to continue to act as a guidepost on the challenging road to autonomy.
According to representatives of the university, LMU will continue to play a key role in assisting schools that join the Innovation Division, a subdivision of the school district that was created over the summer to provide guidance and support to schools such as those in Westchester that opt for autonomy.
"It is our mission to be involved in the community around us," said Shane Martin, dean of the LMU School of Education. "Our Family of Schools is a perfect example of how LMU is transforming the way universities work with their neighborhood schools."
"It's a great day for the kids and the schools in Westchester," Drew Furedi, executive director of LMU's Family of Schools added. "The vote in favor of autonomy really demonstrates the deep commitment to taking a hard look at what things are working and figuring how to support the things that are working and make them even better."
School district officials have given their blessing to autonomy for Westchester, where there are seven schools.
"[The vote on December 11th] was another important step forward for our families and students as we continue to work together to ensure that children in these schools — which are our highest priority — graduate from high school and are college prepared and career ready," said school superintendent David Brewer. "That's why we created our Innovation Division for Education Achievement as part of our efforts to transform the LAUSD into a high-performing, world-class district."
School board member Marlene Canter, whose district includes Westchester, feels that autonomy is more than just about the acquisition of academic freedom and having hands-on management of a neighborhood school.
"This is a way to create innovation within the district," Canter said. "What I was hoping to do [with autonomy] was to create an access point for partners that could help us create better schools, and autonomy is a great way to create innovation within the district."
Furedi, who has been actively involved in helping to shape conversation surrounding the topic of academic independence since his arrival at LMU this summer, believes that the vote at the three schools was more than just a watershed moment for Westchester.
"We saw strong, overwhelming support from parents in the vote, and you also saw a lot of engagement among parents, teachers, staff and community members during the runup to the actual vote," he pointed out. "In the few days since, we've seen more engagement and excitement in trying to put this into context."
Over 98 percent of the parents who voted at Kentwood cast ballots in favor of autonomy. Of the votes cast by parents at the Orville Wright magnet school, over 95 percent voted yes, and the middle school's percentage was 90 percent. (* see note below)
Furedi listed two reasons he thinks that the decision to pursue freedom from the Los Angeles Unified School District is important and should be viewed in a wider context.
"This is about a community saying, 'We are taking absolute responsibility for the excellence and success of our schools.' That's different from how public education has worked in the past," he explained. "The other difference is, here is a university saying that we are redefining what a university partnership looks like."
Ingrid Lamoureux, who heads the Parent-Teacher Association at Orville Wright, is thrilled that the university has offered to be actively involved with the reform movement.
"I and the [Orville Wright] PTA look forward to collaborating with LMU," said Lamoureux. "Drew Furedi has been a dream to work with."
Stephen Rochelle, the principal at Orville Wright, also feels that having a prestigious university on board is a distinct advantage for his school and others in Westchester that chose autonomy.
"LMU has the infrastructure, the research teams and the resources," Rochelle noted, "and what better partner to have than a university of its caliber?"
The university has begun working with the Innovation Division to continue to design the next stage of autonomy and what it could look like in Westchester.
"Literally right after the votes were tallied, we started working on pulling together foundational data and information around instruction and operation of schools," Furedi said. "We've already begun taking apart the budget to see what the real numbers are going to show us in terms of funding, and we're looking at individual success and talents of students in order to frame a conversation to figure out a way to unlock the greatness that's there, using research based methods and data to figure out what's best for our kids."
Canter, who also has been publicly supportive of autonomy for Westchester schools, believes that autonomy can be "a sustainable way to reform from within the district."
Schools that choose autonomy will chart their own plan for academic improvement, and while there will be discussion, suggestions and comparing notes among all the principals and teachers in Westchester, each school will be responsible for designing its own academic blueprint.
"I think that's the really exciting part of working with the whole group of schools," said Furedi. "It's exciting for each school to be working with several other schools that might have slightly different programs, but taking into account what the specific needs of their students are.
"It's about maintaining the individual character of a school, but really making more intentional use of a professional learning community," Furedi said.
The remaining five schools in the Westchester area are slated to vote in January. Proponents of autonomy believe that sustaining the momentum of having three schools that have joined the Innovation Division is critical.
"There's a palpable energy and excitement among the parents and teachers that there are schools that have [voted for] autonomy already, and there's an excitement about that," Furedi said. "And I think capitalizing on that energy is very important."
One of the challenges that must still be overcome is that for some, change remains a risky proposition.
"[Change] is difficult, and we realize that," said Furedi.
Canter agrees.
"It's always hard in the beginning," the board member stated. "My hope is that [the December 11th vote] ignites parents to see that now they finally have a vote."
Orville Wright principal Rochelle is looking forward to both the excitement and the challenges of autonomy.
"This is the most important work of our time," Rochelle said.
He contemplated the possibility that Westchester could be used as a reform model for the school district.
"If we are successful, could this be replicated throughout LAUSD?" he asked.
Furedi reiterated that the university will continue to be a partner as Westchester parents and teachers explore autonomy in 2008.
"But it's going to take everybody working toward the same goal," Furedi said. "The idea behind autonomy is to give all of the stakeholders a voice in improving their schools, not for the university to become the new LAUSD."
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* 4LAKids note: Note the qualifier: "…of the parents who voted".
The parent turnout for the I-Division vote in the LMU Partnership Schools was far better than the parent turnout for the Mayor's Partnership elections across town — but the actual percentage of parents voting in the affirmative to support this program…
• Kentwood: 45%
• Wright Magnet: 17%
• Wright MS: 12%
…falls far below a majority, a consensus or a mandate.
The low turnout for the Wright Magnet parents is especially worrisome because of the parent commitment required to get students into magnet programs!
The successes in LA of the Magnet Program, Permits with Transportation (PWT), and Schools for Advanced Study (SAS) – and start-up charter schools like Green Dot, KIPP, College-Ready, Accelerated and the rest – rely upon and leverage one hundred percent of a school or program's parents opting-in.
That level of commitment is lacking in the I-Division schools.
ASKED AND ANSWERED: DAVID L. BREWER - The Wave Interview
‘You have to deal with the politics. I don’t think that you can avoid it.’
by Gene C. Johnson Jr., Staff Writer | Los Angeles Wave Newspapers
At the close of 2007 — during which a power struggle between Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the L.A. Unified School District resulted in a new mayor-friendly majority on the school board, and a judge’s ruling reaffirming that board’s legal authority over public education — no individual has been closer to the most city’s most politically charged issue than David L. Brewer.
Unanimously selected by the LAUSD board to be superintendent and awarded a four-year contract in November 2006, Brewer has now concluded a year of assessment in terms of the needed changes for the school district. During an exclusive interview with the Wave in his downtown office, the 61-year-old retired Navy Admiral explained why he is calling 2008 his “year of execution.”
Q: WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR AS SUPERINTENDENT?
A: I’ve stabilized a major crisis, that’s the payroll system — a crisis that I inherited. My first year was clearly centered around assessments. We have created several new positions. I have cut the budget by $95 million and 500 positions. I was able to use those deficiencies to create some new positions, [such as] a deputy for Professional Learning, Development and Leadership — which I found that we were severely lacking in this entire organization — not just in teachers and principals, but in the entire organization. The other thing is that any type of organization has to have innovation, what we call research and development. So we created an innovation division. Through that particular division we’re going to … segue way into partnerships with the community. Like I said when I first arrived here: education is the responsibility of the entire community. This give the community — what we call network partners — an opportunity to come in and work formally with our students. Here’s a key point: I did not arrive at the beginning of the school year. I arrived at the middle of the school year. So for all points and purposes, I had one-half of a school year in order to get this done. So I think we moved pretty fast. This is the year of execution. This will be my first full year. The board did not approve of these positions until July. People have to take that into consideration and put everything into context. When you arrive in the middle of the school year, you don’t have the same opportunities to execute as quickly. But we are going to execute this year.
HOW DOES YOUR GOING ABOUT THE “YEAR OF EXECUTION” RELATE TO YOUR MILITARY TRAINING?
It relates in terms of its intensity. This is a very intense job. I have to apply a lot of the same skills, change management, leadership, etc. — even with the media. We had a lot of media training in the Navy and … this [endeavor] is media-intense. I think that has been one of the biggest surprises for me is how much media attention I get.
ARE YOU BOTHERED AT ALL BY THE MEDIA ATTENTION?
I take it in stride. For me, it’s an opportunity to speak to the public. Because as I’ve said before, the community should come to realize that education is everybody’s responsibility.
WELL, IN TERMS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO BEING UNDER ITS VERY WATCHFUL COLLECTIVE EYE?
Again, in my assessments, one the first things I found out very quickly is that African-American males are the lowest performing in the school district. So I immediately began to focus on that. We have two outstanding boys’ academies right now. One at King-Drew and one at Jordan [high schools]. We’re going to benchmark and replicate those because we realize that, not just for African-American males, but males in general — because you can’t segregate by race — so all of our boy’s academies will have boys. So, in essence, that’s one of the things that we’ve already accomplished. And they’re doing well, by the way.
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAYOR? HOW OFTEN DO YOU MEET WITH HIM TO DISCUSS EDUCATION ISSUES?
I’m very supportive of the mayor’s [education] initiative. In fact, we’re working with him and helping him to choose his family of schools. He’s choosing two families of schools. Again, by creating our Innovation Division that facilitated that process, that relationship. People don’t understand that you have to create the organizational construct. You have to create the structure and the systemic changes, everything else is just ideas. And even if you tried to execute them, they would not be executed effectively. We have the Innovation Division, so the mayor can now segue way in with his partnership for L.A. schools.
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN BLACK AND LATINO STUDENTS AND WHITES AND ASIAN-AMERICANS?
Here’s the key: literacy. Literacy is the key. For Latinos, it’s English-language learners —as well as several other ethnic groups. So we are focused like a laser on language acquisition in terms of English-language learners. And in terms of African-Americans, it’s standard English. African-Americans, many of our kids speak the language of the streets, but they don’t speak academic English. So we’re treating that as language acquisition — a second language acquisition. Not to take away from your [African-American] culture, do your own thing. But when you come into that classroom, you’re going to speak academic English. We recognized that very quickly and so that’s why we [had] a national summit on language acquisition Dec. 13-14 for English-language learners and Spanish English-language learners, because we found out that they are [among the] lowest-performers in the entire school district. Unfortunately, African-Americans are our lowest performers.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION/RESPONSE TO SEVERAL NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS OPENING UP IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES, FOR EXAMPLE THE VIEW PARK PREPARATORY SCHOOLS?
That [charter schools] started back in the late ‘90s. L.A. [the school district] actually asked charter schools to relieve overcrowding. They continued to proliferate. I call it the vacuum theory. If you have an academic vacuum, somebody’s going to fill it. And what charters are doing is filling that academic vacuum. However, we treat charters as partners. Our best traditional schools are still better than the best charters. That’s a point that’s missed. One of the best schools in the entire state is Balboa Magnet. There aren’t any charters that can compete with that. Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies is number 47 in the nation. What they do at the Watts Learning Center is very intense in terms of curriculum and instruction. More importantly, they take these kids on field trips — to Africa. We do have great charters. Watts Learning Center is a school that, as a part of the language acquisition summit … will be brought into that process. We want to see what they are doing at Watts Learning Center in order to drive student achievement among African-Americans. They have one the highest academic performance index of any elementary school in the entire district — charter or traditional — and they are a charter school. This is why we have to study charters — and benchmark and replicate what they do.
HOW MANY HOURS DOES IT TAKE A DAY TO DO YOUR JOB?
I work half-days, you know. I work 12 to 14 hours a day. Being given my military background, I get up early in the morning, have my physical fitness workout just about every morning. I lift weights. I alternate between lifting weights — upper body and then I’ll run the next day, lower body and then run. It’s the “Body for Life” [program] by Bill Phillips.
AS SUPERINTENDENT, WHEN WILL YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ALL OF THE GOALS YOU HAVE SET OUT?
When we’ve begun to meet some of student achievement goals. I’m focused on student achievement. And it’s very hard to do in the district because of all of the politics. There’s so much politics in L.A.
SO DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A POLITICIAN AS WELL AS AN EDUCATOR?
Well you have to deal with the politics. I don’t think that you can avoid it. So to the extent that you deal with it, that’s one thing. But my job is to, really, improve student achievement here in Los Angeles and to make sure that our children graduate college-prepared and that’s my vision. I will know when we are successful when see a higher percentage of students who are proficient and advanced as opposed to basic and below. Right now we are at 33.4 percent in proficiency and advancement. So that means we have to get to at least 50 to 60 percent proficiency and advancement. When we cross that threshold, then we can say whatever programs we put in place have taken … effect. One of my best attributes is that I know how to manage change. I know how to find efficiencies in an organization.
DO YOU HAVE A YEARLY PLAN FOR ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS?
This year it’s high priority schools. In other words we’re looking at our lowest-performing schools and we’re going to create a plan — strategies and tactics — to improve student achievement in our high-priority schools. The following year we’ll take those same strategies and tactics and begin to permeate those into the entire system so that we can raise student achievement for the rest of the district.
WHAT CAN THE DISTRICT TO DO REDUCE CHILDHOOD OBESITY?
We just hired an executive chef from USC to help us with menu development. Plus the [LAUSD] board had already passed a policy several years ago taking junk food and sodas out of the school district. Also we need to teach our families, and children nutrition — and get more physical education for children. This school year will be the year of execution. I invite the entire community to come in and help us. We’re going to find ways for most people to come and help us, in terms of educating our children. L.A. Unified School District was not structured to accept help. People would come and volunteer, but nothing would happen. That’s why I created the Office of Parent and Civic Engagement.
Beating the Ethical Conundrum: LEGACY MAY IMPEDE NEW CHARTER OFFICIAL
ADMINISTRATOR'S ADVOCACY COULD FORCE HIM TO ABSTAIN FROM DECISIONS AT L.A. UNIFIED
by Howard Blume | Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 26, 2007 — You'd be hard-pressed to find a person more qualified to assist charter schools than the new director of the charter division for the Los Angeles Unified School District. In recent years, José J. Cole-Gutièrrez has personally helped dozens of these schools find loans and locations, and aided in myriad other ways, while also lobbying on their behalf before state and local officials.
But that has created thorny conflicts of interest that limit -- at least for a year -- what he could be allowed to do. On the advice of the district's ethics officer, Cole-Gutièrrez could have to abstain from dealing in any way with at least 10 charter schools. Case in point: As general manager for the California Charter Schools Assn., Cole-Gutièrrez aided a local charter school now being investigated by the school system's inspector general.
He also has preemptively recused himself from negotiations over a contentious lawsuit between his former and his current employer. This litigation pertains to the district's policy on providing classroom space to charter schools. About a dozen charters operate in district-owned property, but most of the rest are pressuring the district to help out more.
Charters are public schools that function under their own board, independent of many rules that govern traditional campuses. L.A. Unified has 128 charter schools, more than any school system in the country. With more than 47,000 students -- close to 7% of the district total -- these schools have become a major thrust of local reform.
This year alone, 26 charter schools opened and 38 others are up for renewal prior to June 30. To oversee this burgeoning reform landscape, L.A. Unified has allocated 27 employees and a budget of nearly $4 million. Overseeing it all, as of this month, is Cole-Gutièrrez.
The trade-off with conflicts is worth it, according to his supporters, who characterize his skills as sorely needed and his integrity as beyond dispute.
"José's strengths will allow L.A. Unified to partner with charter schools in ways the district wishes to and should," said Brian Bauer, executive director of Granada Hills Charter High School. "He's a collaborator and a sharp person who really looks at issues objectively -- removing personality without striking the humanity from the conversation."
Among some senior district officials, however, there are misgivings.
"He's been so identified with one part of the movement, as an advocate," said one senior administrator, who like other critics, requested anonymity for fear of repercussions. "The operators of charter schools are going to make it difficult for him to be anything other than an all-out advocate. He's going to feel a lot of pressure from folks he's been working with a long time."
The district's ethics officer, Yea-Lan Chiang, wrote a memo to the school board identifying Ivy Academia in Woodland Hills as among 11 charters Cole-Gutièrrez "lobbied LAUSD on." Cole-Gutièrrez is also listed as having helped develop seven other charter schools from scratch.
The school district's inspector general is investigating whether Ivy Academia, a 4-year-old school with high test scores, improperly commingled for-profit and nonprofit activities.
A high-level district source said Cole-Gutièrrez was among Ivy's advocates. Besides the alleged wrongdoing, the Ivy Academia case is also a test for a crucial question: What is the obligation of charter schools to reveal detailed budgets and other documents?
Ivy Academia's founders have denied any wrongdoing, while asserting that they have cooperated with investigators and complied with all disclosure requirements.
"In this case," said the district source, "José might have to recuse himself indefinitely."
Cole-Gutièrrez, who will make $137,496 a year, declined to discuss which charters he worked with or what he did for them. He said he's actively cooperating with the ethics office to stay within appropriate bounds.
Overall, he said, it's invaluable to have worked intently with so many schools. "I know their mission and passion," he said. "And knowing that story is tremendously helpful as I do this work."
When Cole-Gutièrrez "has to make decisions we don't like," said Caprice Young, head of the charter schools association, "we will trust that he's doing the best for all the students."
He will lead a division with a sometimes conflicting mission -- that of policing charter schools while helping them succeed. Young asserts that L.A. Unified has misfired on both prerogatives.
"The bureaucracy has focused on the creation of new regulations as opposed to ensuring that charter schools are fiscally sound and academically successful," Young said. The petitions required to start a charter, she added, "have gone from 75 pages to nearly 500."
More of the new district schools under construction, she said, should be given to proven charter organizations rather than falling under the same bureaucracy that has failed to turn around existing traditional schools: "If you have the choice between replicating lousy schools and providing space so that good schools can thrive and expand -- that's a no-brainer."
But here Cole-Gutièrrez could be limited initially. That's because he took part in discussions that ultimately led to the filing of litigation against L.A. Unified over access to school sites. Once he began discussions about switching jobs, he removed himself from involvement in the litigation, both sides say.
The previous director, Gregory McNair, will step in to handle matters involving a conflict. McNair, an attorney, left the post at his own request to return to work in the general counsel's office. McNair has critics in the charter school community, but colleagues in the district describe him as smart and fair, and they credit him with building the division as much as limited resources would allow.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
►SCHOOLS MUST TAKE QEIA/SB1133 FUNDS: MONEY FROM STATE CANNOT BE REJECTED CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP SAYS
The Hayward Daily Review reports Superintendent Dale Vigil of the Hayward Unified School District said he has considered rejecting state aid under the Quality Education Investment Act which would go toward class size reduction and intervention programs at two schools because hidden costs to run the program would encroach upon the district's general fund..
Attorneys from a San Francisco-based civil rights firm Public Advocates sent a letter to the district claiming they would be violating state and federal laws if they refused the funds even if accepting the money would cost the district money (more)
►CALLS GROW FOR A BROADER YARDSTICK FOR SCHOOLS
The Washington Post reports the debate over the formula for rating the nation's public schools has stalled efforts in Congress to revise the No Child Left Behind law. At issue: What's the best way to measure whether schools are doing their job?
Unlike questions on the state math and reading tests taken by millions of children, this one has no clear answer. Reaching consensus in the coming election year is expected to be difficult. Without congressional action, the 2002 law will stay as it is.
►MARSHALL HIGH TEACHER WINS $25,000 FOR CLASSROOM
The Los Feliz Ledger reports that Dorothy Lee, a 12th grade art teacher at John Marshall High School has won a $25,000 grand prize in a national Classroom Makeover Contest.
"Driver……… Moooovvve that bus!"
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