In This Issue:
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| • | HIGH-POWERED INVESTIGATION NEVER GOT OFF THE GROUND |
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| • | LAUSD UNDER FIRE FOR DESTROYING COPIES OF RECORDS OF REPORTED CHILD ABUSE BY TEACHERS + smf’s 2¢ |
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| • | PLAN TO USE ‘NEED INDEX’ TO GO BEFORE LAUSD BOARD + far more than 2¢ from a 4LAKids reader |
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| • | FOR THE FIRST TIME, PUBLIC SCHOOL SPENDING FALLS IN THE UNITED STATES |
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| • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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| • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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| • | What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
| | | | The actual abuse of children at Miramonte Elementary School did not take place during the superintendence of John Deasy. And nobody accuses the superintendent of tolerating or excusing child abuse.
However, when he was Deputy Superintendent and in the interregnum when he was Superintendent-in-Waiting he took charge and personal responsibility for the District’s reaction to the alleged and later proven abuse at Miramonte.
● Deasy was hired as deputy supe on June 22, 2010, he joined the District in August 2010. ● He was named the superintendent-in-waiting on Jan 11, 2011, ● He became superintendent in April 2011.
On Feb 1, 2012 Deasy wrote: “When I was notified of the investigation by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department (LASD) more than a year ago on Jan 7, 2011, Berndt was immediately removed from the school that same day.” http://bit.ly/1i5zbV3
This was four days before he was approved by the board to be the next superintendent.
Deasy’s actions, inactions and overreactions have been well documented. The failure to inform parents of the alleged abuse in a timely manner, which the letter cited above is an apologia for. The failure to report the abuse to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing as is required by law. The incarceration of the entire Miramonte staff in Teacher Jail.* The “Files Project” a 20 months long “top-to-bottom” review of 40 years' worth of Los Angeles Unified personnel files that cost $400,000 and occupied the “spare time” of every principal in the District. His conflating of “Bad Teachers” (Pedophiles+child abusers) with “Bad Teachers” (Teachers who don’t meet his standards of skill, ability or test scores).
Responding to a Nov. 2012 state audit that found delays in L.A. Unified School District's reporting of allegations of child abuse, Superintendent John Deasy said he has already improved the district's reporting and investigation procedures.
"The report looks backward at a moment in time," Deasy said. "I'm confident that every issue raised has already been addressed in LAUSD." http://bit.ly/1jqRuUY
Every issue? Really?
This week the Miramonte revelations and allegations continued; a cascade of other shoes dropping, the quagmire sucking the District deeper. Photographs not shared with the court. Documents shredded. New attorneys brought on board. Cover-up alleged. The Files Project had to have unearthed the shredding of SCAR abuse files of 2008 …the decision to rebury that information amounts to re-cover up.
All capped with the disclosure that Dr. Deasy pulled the plug on the blue ribbon commission to be headed-up by civil rights attorney Connie Rice that was to investigate the Miramonte affair. She began the process …only to receive an e-mail from Deasy informing her that the District no longer wanted to pursue the investigation, and that the panel would not be receiving any resources.
Highly paid media consultant "district spokesman" Sean Rossall cannot explain this away. Ultimately Dr. Deasy has to be held accountable by the Board of Education for the lack of accountability. Or the public will hold the Board accountable.
Where does it all end? …and when?
THERE WAS GOOD NEWS THIS WEEK. The national graduation rate and the California graduation rate are both at all time highs, above 80%. The dropout rate is decreasing. LAUSD’s rates trail – but are headed in the right direction – though the progress for students of color don’t match the state or nation.
THERE WAS A GREAT MEETING OF THE CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE on Tuesday; It opened with a presentation by Dy. William Yu, an UCLA Economist on Human Capital and Public Education in Los Angeles that promised to be as exciting as paint drying …but reached the conclusion that Parent Involvement in education is the economic lever that drives community and student success.
This was followed by a presentation by the Arts Education Branch as they rolled out a much pared down and long delayed attempt to restore Arts+Music Education in LAUSD. Dr Steven McCarthy called this reinvestment strategy “pruning” …and pruning by definition is a reduction, not an increase – and not just in investment – but in commitment to Arts and Music Education. Drawn out, Dr. McCarthy confessed that he would need double Dr. Deasy’s proposed budget to begin to address the goals of the Board of Ed’s Arts at the Core Resolution. The plan drew universal fire from the board-and-committee members; in the olden days when board committees took votes it would have been sent back for further review.
A status update on the Common Core Assessment – the testing of the test – was blown off. And a presentation was made on the District's greatly expanded Summer School Program - which will be available at almost every site in the District.
The CIA Committee Meeting can be viewed here:http://bit.ly/1iS3rhQ
LATER TUESDAY there was a long planned “spontaneous” student demonstration at Beaudry by the Community Coalition to promote their “Need Index” budget/LCFF plan – one could barely detect the strings being pulled by the adults behind the curtain. The next day Boardmembers Garcia and Vladovic announced their support for the "student’s plan”. And while it’s better than the superintendent’s plan read: PLAN TO USE ‘NEED INDEX’ TO GO BEFORE LAUSD BOARD …and especially: FAR MORE THAN 2¢ FROM A 4LAKids READER to see why it needs that trip back to the drawing board. The Board needs to get beyond the concept that a budget is an Excel spreadsheet and accept what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “A budget is a moral document.”
THURSDAY THERE WAS A CANDIDATES DEBATE FOR THE VACANT DISTRICT 1 BOARD SEAT at Hamilton High School. The seven candidates are an interesting and interested and diverse group – and probably better informed and better qualified than any such panel have witnessed or participated in. Any one of the seven will change the composition the Board of Education – and should one of them win in the primary they will be the deciding vote on the District budget on June 17th …probably their first day on the job. 4LAKids joins the LA Times and the LA Sentinel in supporting Dr. McKenna.
…and on Monday there was the story: SCHOOL CANCELS ANNUAL KINDERGARTEN SHOW IN ORDER TO BETTER PREPARE KIDS FOR COLLEGE+CAREER
So it was.
¡Onward/Adelante! – smf
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• NEXT WEEK IS THE CALIFORNIA STATE PTA CONVENTION at the Los Angeles Convention Center. C’mon Down!
2014 CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ANNUAL CONVENTION
MAY 7-10, 2014 IN LOS ANGELES
"CONNECTING FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS"
California is ushering in a new era of education reforms and parent engagement. Your voice as a parent or educator is more important than ever. California State PTA's Annual Convention is the place to get the latest information on key issues, build the skills to strengthen your school and community, and have fun and connect with PTA leaders from across the state.
Don't miss:
● More than 75 workshops and hands-on learning opportunities to make your PTA job easier. Plus, there are special sessions just for students!
● Inspiring and motivating keynote speakers.
● Activities and special events such as the EdSource Symposium, Arts Advocacy Breakfast, School Smarts Academy and the Reflections and Awards Night.
● Help shape the direction of California State PTA by voting on the business of the association.
● More than 150 booths in the Exhibit Hall to showcase the latest program options in child safety, education and fundraising.
● Exciting L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles!
* The name “Deasy Jail” was a subsequent development.
HIGH-POWERED INVESTIGATION NEVER GOT OFF THE GROUND
KAREN FOSHAY | KPCC | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/1iapDnl
May 2nd, 2014, 6:10pm :: A high-powered commission set up to investigate the Miramonte sexual abuse scandal never got off the ground, according to the woman asked to head the panel.
In the weeks after the scandal broke in 2012, L.A. Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy asked civil rights attorney Connie Rice to head up a blue-ribbon panel to look into how the scandal involving former teacher Mark Berndt unfolded, and how similar incidents might be prevented in the future.
Rice told KPCC that she recruited former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton, former California Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Moreno, and other "big guns" who were "very good investigators."
Rice -- a former member of Southern California Public Radio's Board of Trustees -- said she spent months putting the commission together, only to receive an e-mail from Deasy informing her that the District no longer wanted to pursue the investigation, and that the panel would not be receiving any resources.
"I was not very happy when the plug got pulled," Rice said. "It took a lot of energy to pull that group together."
Rice said she could not recall exactly when Deasy sent her the e-mail, although she was certain it was "months and months and months ago." She said she had no idea why L.A. Unified decided not to move forward with her inquiry.
"It's a mystery," said Rice.
L.A. Unified spokesman Sean Rossal issued a statement suggesting that the District has not killed Rice's inquiry, but instead thinks the time is not right for it to begin.
"In order to allow Justice Moreno and Connie Rice to have the greatest access to information and materials, we felt it critical to wait for them to begin their work until after the litigation [related to Miramonte] concludes," Rossal said in the statement. "We look forward to being able to work with them on this effort in the near future."
When informed of the statement, Rice said the District's position was news to her.
LAUSD UNDER FIRE FOR DESTROYING COPIES OF RECORDS OF REPORTED CHILD ABUSE BY TEACHERS + smf’s 2¢
By City News Service from the Daily News |http://bit.ly/1moAwWM
5/02/14, 11:57 AM PDT :: LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District acted within state law when it destroyed copies of records of reported child abuse by teachers, a spokesman said today, insisting that the district never had the right to collect the documents in the first place.
But an attorney representing plaintiffs suing the district over abuse that occurred at Miramonte Elementary School demanded a federal investigation into the LAUSD’s handling of the records, accusing the district of destroying 20 years of records as part of a cover-up that allowed sexual predators to move from school to school.
Brian Claypool compared the district’s actions to allegations that the Catholic Church covered up abuse claims against priests.
“It’s my opinion that the LAUSD started destroying these records right around the time when these archdiocese cases were going on,”
Sean Rossall, a spokesman for attorneys representing the district, said the LAUSD had requested and maintained copies of “Suspected Child Abuse Reports” until 2008. The original documents were filed with law enforcement and child-protection agencies, he said.
“When the school district reviewed the law regulating possession and disclosure of these records, it realized it had erred by collecting these highly confidential law enforcement documents and made sure to bring its policies in line with statute,” Rossall said. “It destroyed this duplicate information. The school district checked with L.A. County officials prior to taking this action.”
He insisted that the district records were merely copies of documents that were already on file with law enforcement and child-protection officials. A district statement noted that “while there was a time that the school district encouraged those submitting SCARs to law enforcement and child- protection agencies to also voluntarily send a copy to the school district’s headquarters, it was later determined that the school district should not have been doing this due to the state’s strict confidentiality protections on SCARs.”
Former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt pleaded no contest in November to 23 counts of lewd conduct involving his students and received a sentence of 25 years. Prosecutors said Berndt, 63, spoon-fed his semen to blind-folded students as part of what he is said to have called a tasting game.
But recently released court documents include a host of additional allegations, including more than 100 possible victims, including some children who claim Berndt molested them.
The new allegations about Berndt are included in a 512-page report based on a two-year inquiry by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The report is confidential but was summarized by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Shepard Wiley in a ruling during a pre-trial hearing this week.
The report contained the first public allegations that the veteran elementary teacher sexually abused students. Wiley indicated that Berndt touched them in a sexual manner and exposed himself. According to the sheriff’s report, he also urged students to touch him, according to the judge.
Berndt’s attorney, Manny Medrano, has repeatedly denied that his client ever physically abused any student.
Claypool lashed out at the district’s handling of the records and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a criminal investigation.
“They had something to hide,” he said of district officials. “They knew there was a lot of material in those files to hide. They didn’t want you to know about it. They didn’t want us to know about it. They didn’t want the kids in this community to know about it. And that, in a human society, in a civilized society, is simply intolerable.”
The Miramonte scandal was the biggest child abuse case in the history of the school district. Following Berndt’s arrest on lewd conduct charges in 2012, Superintendent John Deasy closed the campus for two days and reopened it with an entirely new staff. The district has paid about $30 million in settlements to 63 children and their families.
A trial of additional lawsuits is scheduled to begin this summer.
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●●smf’s 2¢: This version of the story is the least sensational and most LAUSD-friendly telling of what is a troubling-but-sensational story, filled with recent revelations and allegations of cover-up, shredded evidence, incompetence and worse.
As to the cover-up and destroying evidence, this is much clear:
Those copies of the SCAR abuse reports were destroyed, back in 2008. Dr. Deasy and his predecessor Dr. Cortines were not superintendent 2008, they bear no responsibility for this action. (Cortines was deputy supe during part of 2008, he became superintendent on Jan 1, 2009,) Though the story above cites archdiocesan priestly abuse as being the scandal du jour in LA in ‘08 – LAUSD was reacting (whether under- or over-) to the Steven Rooney Scandal at that moment. Rooney, an assistant principal, was returned to school after charges of child abuse were dropped by the District Attorney; returned to school Rooney resumed abusing children and was caught, convicted and imprisoned. These pages have pointed an accusing finger at District Attorney Steve Cooley for this – proven out that Rooney was eventually convicted for the charges previously dropped as well as the newer ones. In 2008 LAUSD should have locked the SCAR copies in a forgotten safe somewhere …or returned them to law enforcement for disposal.
That said, Dr. Deasy’s well documented top-to-bottom search of child abuse records reported here must have uncovered the shredding of 2008 – and the failure to promptly, immediately and publicly disclose the shredding incident demonstrates a lack of transparency and contempt of communication that screams “cover up” – and not by his predecessor but by himself.
THIS JUST IN: While I was writing the above the news that Dr. Deasy shut down an blue ribbon committee investigation of Miramonte led by Civil Rights Attorney Connie Rice broke on the radio, Miramonte: High-powered investigation never got off the ground | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/1iapDnl
Where does it all end? …and when?
PLAN TO USE ‘NEED INDEX’ TO GO BEFORE LAUSD BOARD + far more than 2¢ from a 4LAKids reader
BY LA SCHOOL REPORT | http://bit.ly/1fGGGTN
May 1, 2014 12:17 pm :: In a surprise move, LA Unified school board will consider a resolution that supports the use of an alternative formula, known as the “Student Need Index,” in deciding how to distribute school funds throughout the district.
LA School Report has learned that Monica Garcia and Board President Richard Vladovic have agreed to co-sponsor a resolution to put before the board at its next meeting, on May 13. Their agreement came a day after his office met with student activists who had collected more than 4,300 petition signatures. (Read story here: http://bit.ly/1iNL56x).
Many of the highest-needs schools centered primarily in south and east Los Angeles are in Vladovic’s own district, which stretches from downtown to Long Beach. A large number are also in Garcia’s district.
Chris Torres, Vladovic’s chief of staff, said Garcia agreed to sponsor the resolution, and Vladovic then signed on as a co-sponsor.
Developed by the Advancement Project along with two community groups, the Community Coalition and InnerCityStruggles, the index establishes a new method of rating schools by need, based on a variety of factors including neighborhood conditions that can affect the lives of students, like gun injuries, access to childcare and asthma rates.
Superintendent John Deasy, who has presented the board a draft budget, congratulated the community groups for their efforts but said the motion from Garcia and Vladovic is unnecessary because the district is already considering several poverty factors for the 2014-2015 budget.
“This is work that was done by the district over a year ago, and we’ve used a similar formula to identify these areas already,” Deasy told LA School Report.
The resolution comes as the board continues to debate how to allocate over $830 million made available by the state through the new Local Control Funding Formula. The LCFF specifies that the money must go to high-needs students; those in foster care, English Language Learners and low-income students. Exactly how the new money is distributed is what the debate is all about.
The teachers union has been silent on the index. The union’s incoming president, Alex Caputo-Pearl has asked for a double-digit pay raise, regardless of where a teacher works. Board members in districts with fewer high-needs students, such as Tamar Galatzan, could take issue with the formula, for the possibility that it could siphon money to other districts.
Galatzan’s office declined to comment until gaining a better understanding of the resolution.
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●●●● A 4LAKids reader responds, addressing his concerns in an open letter to the Board of Education and to members of the The Local Control Accountability Plan Parent Advisory Committee – both of whom must weigh in on the LAUSD Local Control Accountability Plan:
Dear Board and LAAP Parent Advisory Plan Committee members:
According to LASchoolReport.com, Board President Vladovic and Board Member Garcia will be asking the Board to discard the budget submitted by Superintendent Deasy on April 8 and instead use an alternative distribution proposed by the Advancement Project, InnerCity Struggle and Community Coalition: "This coalition of community and civil rights organizations urges the leadership at LAUSD to live into the spirit and intention of the new Local Control Funding Formula and to allocate all of the Concentration & Supplemental Grants (which could total up to $837M for 2014-2015) to the highest need schools by using this comprehensive and data-driven ranking of schools" .
The proposal can be found at this web page [http://bit.ly/1hpvOoh] and it offers a list of 242 schools they claim have the highest need. Interestingly, the list includes at least one high school that has a lower ratio of Title I students than all its feeders, both elementary and middle schools. They also do not offer any explanation on how these high need index was calculated from the elements found here [http://bit.ly/1umskvx].
Regardless of how this index is calculated, what is inescapable is that if this plan was adopted there would be at least three major problems:
Transferring all the funds from the Supplemental and Concentration grants to these 242 schools violates Ed. Code Section 42238.07(a)(1): "regulations shall ... require a school district ... to increase or improve services for unduplicated pupils in proportion to the increase in funds apportioned on the basis of the number and concentration of unduplicated pupils in the school district..."
Given that the District recruited parents to serve in the Parent Advisory Committee so they would critique the District's Local Control and Accountability Plan, which is based on the budget submitted by Superintendent Deasy, doesn't this action render their efforts null and void? Where is the willingness of the Board to include parents in this important decision? Doesn't this action send a message that their efforts are not consequential?
Under the high-need index, the funds would be distributed to 58 schools in Board District 1 (Vacant), 56 schools in District 2 (Garcia), 6 schools in District 3 (Galatzan), 0 schools in District 4 (Zimmer) , 33 schools in District 5 (Kayser), 36 schools in District 6 (Ratliff) and 67 schools in District 7 (Vladovic).
What will you say to the other schools with more than 50% poor children in their enrollment? That according to an unpublished metric they are less poor than the other schools and therefore get zero dollars from the state?
In my opinion, this ill-timed and ill-considered plan has shifted the argument from class warfare. Now the poor have to fight among themselves so that one faction will end up with the whole pie.
This is unconscionable.
I urge you reject the Superintendent’s April 8 draft budget and to vote no if this proposal ever comes to a vote. There is much work to be done moving forward - we can and we must do better for the children of L.A,
Thank you for considering this request.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, PUBLIC SCHOOL SPENDING FALLS IN THE UNITED STATES
By Julia Lawrence | Education News | http://bit.ly/1kBZQHo
Friday, May 31st, 2013 :: American spending on public schools is down for the first time in the three decades since the Census Bureau has been tracking spending data, CNBC reports. Experts explain the drop as the belated fallout from the the ‘Great Recession,’ even though officially the economic downturn came to an end in June 2009.
The reason the pain is only being felt now is in part due to federal stimulus spending which was supposed to offset some of the revenue losses experienced by states as a result of the financial collapse. However, the stimulus wasn’t enough to cover falling budgets indefinitely, so states eventually had to cut education spending as a way to balance the books.
Although saving money is one of the most prominent planks of the education reform platform, education policy experts in both ideological camps agree that the spending crunch as measured on a per-student basis has more to do with harsh economic, rather than political, realities.
The 50 states and Washington, D.C., spent $10,560 per student in 2011, according to the most recent Census data, a less than 1 percent drop from 2010. Though tiny, it marked the first drop in per-pupil spending since the Census Bureau began collecting annual data in 1977.
Overall, public elementary and secondary school systems spent $595.1 billion in 2011, down 1.1 percent from 2010. It was the second year in a row that total expenditures fell. The data are not adjusted for inflation.
Although current forecasts show that spending is likely to stabilize and even rebound in coming years, few expect it to return to prior levels quickly. This is especially true because many districts have taken steps such as cutting staff to make ends meet, and may be hesitant to take on additional employees while the future funding picture is uncertain.
School districts have dealt with recessions before, but in the past Griffith said wealthier areas were often able to offset tax revenue cuts by passing levies or coming up with other funding options for schools. That meant that across the nation, spending per student has historically continued to rise even if certain districts saw spending fall.
This time, he said so many districts were forced to make cuts that the national numbers finally reflected the hit. Nevertheless, some of the nation’s wealthiest areas were still likely able to maintain strong funding, potentially exacerbating the gap between rich and poor districts.
Although per pupil funding is down overall, the decline doesn’t reflect the vast differences in spending between states. For example, New York, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia spent more than $15,000 per-student per-year on average in 2011 while Mississippi and Oklahoma spent less than $8,000 per student over the same period.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
●Legislating morality? Criminalizing bad behavior? : CARSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MOVE TO OUTLAW BULLYING
●LAWYERS WANT INVESTIGATION OF LAUSD DESTRUCTION OF ABUSE FILES...
●LAUSD UNDER FIRE FOR DESTROYING COPIES OF RECORDS ...
●Miramonte: HIGH-POWERED INVESTIGATION NEVER GOT OFF THE GROUND...
●SB 1174: SENATE PANEL MOVES BILL TO RESTORE MULTIL...
●AB215: TEACHER DISMISSAL BILL UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTE...
●ALLEGATIONS+REVELATIONS ABOUT MIRAMONTE CHILD ABUS...
●PLAN TO USE ‘NEED INDEX’ TO GO BEFORE LAUSD BOARD ...
●BULLETS FLY …BUT THE TEST MUST GO ON: By Maggie Terry / commentary in EdSource Today | http://bit.ly/1lEML2J
●CALIF. SENATE PANEL ADVANCES BILL TO RESTORE BILINGUAL EDUCATION | http://lat.ms/1hYbA8I
● LAUSD ADMITS TO DESTROYING OVER TWO DECADES OF CHILD ABUSE RECORDS [essentially a rewrite of KPCC+KNBC stories] http://bit.ly/1kyLaui
●BAD TEACHERS OR CORRUPT SYSTEM? LAUSD cracks down on alleged misconduct: student journalism from Hollywood High ::. http://bit.ly/1lEmRMM
●THE AUTHENTIC LOCAL VOICE FOR LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING SPEAKS OUT …but were they/will they/should they be heard?:... http://bit.ly/1lDLrNy
●Mayday! Mayday!! - Miramonte civil lawsuits in disarray: LAUSD BRINGS IN NEW LAWYERS, ADMITS SHREDDING DOCUMEN... http://bit.ly/1lDdYmD
●TROUBLE AHEAD FOR LOCAL SCHOOL BONDS AND PARCEL TA...
●“PRUNING” IN THE NAME OF “EQUITY”: NEW PROPOSAL FO...
●iPAD, Wi-Fi ISSUES INTERRUPT LA SCHOOLS TESTING: “...
●3 stories: ALEX CAPUTO-PEARL ELECTED UTLA PRESIDENT...
●L.A. SCHOOLS’ MAINTENANCE BUDGET TRAILS OTHER LARG...
●SCHOOL CANCELS ANNUAL KINDERGARTEN SHOW IN ORDER TO BETTER PREPARE KIDS FOR COLLEGE+CAREER: By Beth Greenfield... http://bit.ly/1fqYjqf
●Who’s who in Education: EDUCATION LEADERSHIP CHANGES ON CAPITOL HILL: From ASCD (formerly the Association for ...http://bit.ly/1fqS85m
●LAUSD AND CITY OF LOS ANGELES TEAM UP TO HELP NEEDY FAMILIES: By Rick Orlov, Los Angeles Daily News | http://b...http://bit.ly/QQWwj3
●Report: CALIFORNIA KEY TO RAISING NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GRAD RATE + CDE Announces 80.2% Grad Rate: By Lisa Leff... http://bit.ly/QQNYZs
●GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED RAINY-DAY FUND RESERVE WOULD RARELY BE FILLED: By John Fensterwald | EdSource Today http:/... http://bit.ly/1fJXMKQ
●L.A. TIMES ENDORSES GEORGE McKENNA FOR L.A. SCHOOL BOARD: ELECTIONS 2014: In the race to replace the late Marg... http://bit.ly/1iwOGGc
●PPIC Survey: CALIFORNIANS SUPPORT HISTORIC CHANGES IN SCHOOL FUNDING, CURRICULUM: By Teresa Watanabe, LA Times... http://bit.ly/1tVa3oR
●smf RADIO INTERVIEW RE: TEACHER JAIL: 4LAKids’ Scott Folsom interviewed by KPFK host John Cromshow for a speci...http://bit.ly/1k0oa4h
●GREG SCHILLER RADIO INTERVIEW: Interview with teacher Greg Schiller by John & Ken, KFI Talk Radio hosts on Fri...http://bit.ly/1tSKDIC
●Photo: PRESIDENT OBAMA & THE MARSHMALLOW GUN: Maybe LAUSD needs one of these in the balcony of the Boardroom? | http://bit.ly/1irvauD
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
2014 CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ANNUAL CONVENTION
MAY 7-10, 2014 IN LOS ANGELES
"CONNECTING FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS"
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 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.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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