Sunday, November 15, 2015

Paris, le vendredi 13: L'ennemi est l'ignorance



4LAKids: Sunday 15•Nov•2015
In This Issue:
 •  BROAD FOUNDATION DEFENDS CHARTER PLAN AFTER CONCERNS ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOL IMPACT
 •  A YEAR LATER, SECRECY SURROUNDS FBI PROBE OF LAUSD’S iPAD PROGRAM + smf’s 2¢
 •  FEDERAL LAWSUIT ACCUSES BROOKLYN CHARTER SCHOOL OF FAILING TO PROVIDE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES + smf’s 2¢ + Randi Weingarten’s 2¢
 •  Pop Quiz: WHAT’S WRONG WITH L.A. UNIFIED’S LEADERSHIP? Answer: JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
 •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
 •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...
 •  What can YOU do?


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   Third world warriors
Arisen from madrasas
Trained as Taliban
In schools as Orwellian
As they are scholars in Newspeak
      informed by enlightened seventh century philosophy
      misinterpreted though fourteen hundred years of     misconception
      bloodbathed in Crusades and Jihad.
A dark poverty of ideas and ruin
Sprayed into the City of Light
By Kalashnikovs and exploding belts.
      backwards in time and truth
      to the Bhagavad Gita and the Song of (another) God
      Now I am become Death, Destroyer of Worlds.



LOTS OF SEEMINGLY BRIGHT FOLKS SAID DUMB THINGS LAST WEEK; probably more from proximity to a microphone than to superior intellect obtained through rational thought and/or higher ed:

Republican presidential candidate MARCO RUBIO’S declaration that “We need more welders, less philosophers” wasn’t the worst – though his rumination should be sent on to the LAUSD superintendent search team, especially in light of the almost lively debate earlier on Tuesday at the Board meeting over whether a Doctorate of Philosophy is a prerequisite for the LAUSD’s Next Supe.

Of the past four past superintendents only one had his Ph.D. Look how that turned out.

(The other almost lively moment came over a half-baked debate whether the Teacher Pool [the least impactful cost-saving suggestion from the Financial Review Task Force] is preferable to a Substitute Pool.) Avoiding premature Foot-in-Mouth, the District’s bargaining units are publicly mute on any of the proposed cost-cutting suggestions [LAUSD unions silent over the financial report, - LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1j0OzW8]


Republican presidential candidate DR. BEN CARSON opined: "The very best education is homeschool. The next is private school. The next is charter schools. And the last is public schools." | http://bit.ly/1WYv9OS.. This is particularly interesting in that Carson is the beneficiary of a great public school education at Southwestern High School in Detroit (a public school where he was mentored by science teachers who recognized his intellectual abilities. Other educators helped him to stay focused when outside influences pulled him off course) and where he participated in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and reached the rank of cadet colonel (smf only rose to cadet sergeant major at Hollywood High in the same time frame!)

Carson did his undergrad studies at Yale University (a private institution) which he attended on a full scholarship, majoring in psychology. He received his M.D. from the University of Michigan (a public university) Medical School in 1977.


IN OTHER NEWS Disney CEO Robert Iger is taking over Carson’s proposal to locate a football stadium in Carson. ¡It’s a whole other Carson!


Republican Presidential Candidate DONALD TRUMP opened his mouth, inevitably dumb things were said. On Saturday evening the Democrats will have their opportunity.


PROBABLY THE DUMBEST THING SAID OR DONE IN LAUSD LAST WEEK was the agendizing of the proposal to take LAUSD to a wall-to-wall Charter District at next week’s Budget, Facilities and Audit Committee |”Ratliff Exploring LAUSD Conversion into a Charter District” | http://bit.ly/1kQNMrV.

It is one thing to wonder “¿What if?” …and even do it publicly. It’s always a good+wise thing to have legal (or-staff) quietly check it out. But when the idea proves to be about as dumb as a box of rocks – or a half-dozen fries short of a happy meal – isn’t it best to just forget it? Somewhere there may be a perfect-and-well qualified superintendent candidate – with a real Ph.D. – who is having second thoughts: “¿They want to do WHAT?”


The BROAD FOUNDATION admitted its half-baked proposal to take over half-of LAUSD and convert them to charter schools was half-baked …but they are not giving up.

A cake left out in the rain,
All the sweet green icing flowing down.
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no.


THE REST OF THE NEWS is the connection of education+poverty to the school-to-prison pipeline.

Of iPads and speculatively the Deasy-to-prison pipeline.

And of charters performing inadmirably.

And Steve Lopez’ Pop Quiz: What’s wrong with L.A. Unified’s Leadership?


¡Onward/Adelante! - smf


BROAD FOUNDATION DEFENDS CHARTER PLAN AFTER CONCERNS ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOL IMPACT
by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | KPCC | http://bit.ly/1HPA5ik

Audio from this story | 3:19 | Listen: http://bit.ly/1QCsGtJ

November 13, 05:30 AM :: Speaking at an invitation-only panel discussion, the executive director of the Broad Foundation on Thursday defended his organization’s plan to lead a doubling of charter schools in Los Angeles over eight years.

“We’ve got over 50,000 students on wait lists in charters. Why is that? It’s because parents want different choices, they want something different,” Broad's Gregory McGinity said, speaking publicly on the plan for the first time since it was leaked in September.

The education reform advocacy group ABC sponsored the panel discussion held at the L.A. County-USC Medical Center before a gathering of about 70 invitees.

The event focused almost entirely on the charter expansion plan and featured a tense discussion with McGinity and Los Angeles Unified School Board President Steve Zimmer on the proposal's financial impact on the public schools.

The plan’s stated goal is to increase the charters’ “market share” of Los Angeles' public education. That approach, Zimmer said, is contrary to the founding mission of charter schools.

“The idea was to use these networks, these schools, as incubators for change and then spread that change throughout the system so all kids could be part of that change,” he said.

Instead, Zimmer said, the plan to enroll 130,000 new students in charter schools could push LAUSD into bankruptcy because state funding would follow the students.

McGinity said he doesn't believe that will happen.

“I have a lot of faith in the school board and the team at LAUSD, but we also know we’ve seen a lot of school districts around the country with a high percentage of charter schools and they’re thriving,” he said.

The plan proposes spending $490 million to secure school sites around Los Angels and hire charter school staff. Because many charter schools are nonunion, the plan is opposed by the UTLA, the teachers union, which was not invited to the event.

McGinity said the charter school plan is a work in progress and the Thursday discussion would help shape the final proposal. He didn’t say when that might be completed.

Just where the charter schools would be located is still up for discussion. “Is it just a few isolated communities? Is it the broader city? Is it the greater Los Angeles area as we think about access to high-quality education for families?” he asked.

After the discussion, McGinity, and the other panelists went table to table, taking questions from participants.

Rob McGowan, an associate director at CADRE, a parent support group, said what he’s heard so far from the Broad Foundation assumes inner city kids will enroll in the charters and automatically benefit. But he said “it takes something more than that, it takes a belief in that black child, that this black child is a human being and is capable.”

He said his group pushes LAUSD to create disciplinary policies and instructional approaches that address the learning needs of African-American children. He said he'd like to see those goals included in the charter expansion plan.

Support or opposition to Broad’s charter school plan has become a litmus test in L.A.’s public school community to determine alliances, according to Claremont Graduate University’s Charles Kerchner.

“Clearly the Broad plan has started something which I call the Charter School Wars in Los Angeles that’s going to be with us for some time,” he said.

To bring the battle to a peaceful end, he said a coalition is needed that includes representatives from City Hall, the school district, the business community, labor unions and charter supporters. But he added he didn't think it is likely the groups would sit down together any time soon.

Also: BROAD CHARTER PLAN COULD RESHAPE LAUSD: Critics warn it could bankrupt the District | LA Times | http://bit.ly/1HMOMmd


ELI BROAD’S COVER LETTER TO CHARTER PLAN: Explaining the “Landmark Opportunity” & how+why “LA is well-positioned to achieve 50% charter market share.



A YEAR LATER, SECRECY SURROUNDS FBI PROBE OF LAUSD’S iPAD PROGRAM + smf’s 2¢
Posted on by LA School Report by Craig Clough | http://bit.ly/1NsL4Ab

November 11, 2015 12:54 pm :: On Dec. 1 it will be a year since FBI agents showed up at LA Unified’s headquarters with a federal grand jury subpoena and carted off 20 boxes of documents related to the district’s controversial iPad program.

Since that day little if any new information has been publicly revealed about the investigation’s status, and that is primarily due to the secrecy laws that surround federal grand juries. Unless the jury issues an indictment or an investigative report, the evidence and testimony is by law to remain forever sealed, and leaks of federal grand jury evidence are extremely rare.

With almost a year passed since the subpoena, it is possible the grand jury found no evidence of wrong doing and has dissolved, but James A. Cohen, an associate law professor at Fordham University, said it’s unusual — though not impossible — for a grand jury investigation to take more than a year.

“It’s coming up on a year in December. It’s a long period, no question. It’s not that unusual, but it is still on the unusual side,” he said.

Cohen helps run Fordham’s Federal Litigation Clinic, which represents defendants charged with federal crimes; he has also written about and researched the grand jury system. Cohen pointed out that an LA Unified school board agenda item from August, as was reported by LA School Report, indicates that the district’s lawyers might have foreseen trouble coming from the investigation or a related lawsuit.

The brief item, which simply said the board was going to discuss the case in a closed session, was listed on the agenda due to a state law that reads “on the advice of its legal counsel, based on existing facts and circumstances, there is a significant exposure to litigation against the local agency.”

Cohen said this is an important indicator.

“I think what it means, what it has to mean, is somebody, a civil lawyer representing (LA Unified), has gone through the documents that were sent to the FBI and concluded that there is liability out there,” Cohen said.

The grand jury subpoena in particular sought information related to the bidding process for the massive $1.3 billion Common Core Technology Project. The controversial program, which aimed to give every student and teacher in LA Unified a computer tablet, was one of the major initiatives undertaken by former Superintendent John Deasy, who resigned 13 months ago.

Deasy paused the purchase of new iPads under the contract in August of 2014 after emails surfaced showing that he and a deputy, Jamie Aquino, had a close relationship with Apple and Pearson, a company that provided educational software for the iPads. Deasy’s successor, Ramon Cortines, cancelled the contract the day after the FBI seized the documents and later abandoned the goal of giving every student and teacher a tablet.

The emails showed that both Deasy and Aquino were in close contact with Pearson and Apple before the contract was awarded. Aquino was a former employee of a Pearson subsidiary, and to some it looked as if the bid was rigged in favor of Apple and Pearson. In media interviews, both Deasy and Aquinio denied any wrong doing. Aquino had already left the district when the emails were revealed, and Deasy resigned just a few months later.

While the targets of the FBI investigation are unknown, Cohen said anyone indicted on charges related to bid rigging would be facing the potential of serious jail time.

“Mail fraud and wire fraud are favorites of federal prosecutors. You’ve got all sorts of bribery statutes. Those would be the kind (from bid rigging). There’s also conspiracy and aiding and abetting,” he said.

While there is supreme secrecy surrounding federal grand juries, an exception is that anyone called to testify before a grand jury is free to speak publicly about their own testimony.

“The secrecy for grand juries is very strict. There is an attorney general in the state of Pennsylvania who is under indictment for leaking grand jury materials. It’s just a statement for how serious the courts take it,” Cohen said. “Witnesses are discouraged from (speaking publicly). So a prosecutor will have a meeting with them, making it clear that we strongly discourage you from saying anything about your testimony, and only if asked.”

Both Deasy and Aquinio did not respond to a request to comment on this story or to discuss any testimony they may have given to the grand jury, although it is unknown if they were subpoenaed to do so.

If the grand jury were not to issue any indictments, Cohen said there are only two possible outcomes. One is the jury will dissolve and any evidence it gathered would be forever sealed, barring a leak. The other option is for the jury to issue an investigative report, which essentially means it found no criminal liability on the part of any individuals but did find problems with how an organization is operating.

“The grand jury may in fact come up with nothing and they may not find anybody to indict, but the jury might say we find the following flaws in the bidding process,” Cohen said, adding that investigative reports are rare.

_____________________



●●smf’s 2¢: It hasn’t been a year, yet! This report was published on Nov 11 and there are thirty days in November!
The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is new on the job, having been confirmed exactly five months ago on June 11th. One would assume she will be careful in this fraught political+legal minefield.

If the targets are Drs. Deasy and Aquino and the Los Angeles Unified School District this might be a simple open+shut case. If the targets include Pearson, LLC (a huge a multinational corporation headquartered in London) and/or Apple, Inc. (the biggest+most profitable corporation in the U.S,) it’s a whole other can o’ worms/kettle o’ fish/argument of lawyers.
U.S. Attorney District offices are notoriously competitive with each other. Pearson LLC was a target of the US Attorney in New York and tax-code violation convictions were obtained and huge fines levied against the Pearson Foundation for doing things on the East Coast that are alleged in Pearson’s Palm Springs promotion – at which Deasy and Aquino were presenters. Pearson's former charitable arm closed shop on Dec 12 – after the FBI LAUSD records seizure.

Dame Marjorie Scardino, the Pearson CEO at the time of the contract, seems to be implicated in the Deasy iPad emails. She has since been moved out of Pearson leadership …but Apple CEO Tim Cook, who also figures prominently, remains at the helm of Apple.

Bid+contract rigging and mail+wire fraud are one-or-two things, conspiracy is yet another thing. But because this case involves publicly traded school construction bonds this case also could very well involve Securities and Exchange Commission violations.

Stay tuned.


FEDERAL LAWSUIT ACCUSES BROOKLYN CHARTER SCHOOL OF FAILING TO PROVIDE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES + smf’s 2¢ + Randi Weingarten’s 2¢
By Elizabeth A. Harris – New York Times | http://nyti.ms/1NUOrlX

NOV. 5, 2015 :: Special education students at a Brooklyn charter school did not get mandated services and were punished for behavior that arose from their disabilities, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday.

The suit, filed on behalf of five students at Achievement First Crown Heights, described a “systemic failure to provide them a free appropriate public education, in violation of their rights.” It said that students did not get physical therapy and other services for weeks at a time, and that a student with autism was disciplined for not looking in the direction a teacher instructed or for hiding under his desk.

In addition to the charter network and the school, the suit also named the New York City Department of Education and the New York State Education Department, asserting they failed to make Achievement First, a network with schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as in New York City, live up to its responsibilities.

“Kids with special needs not only should be granted accommodations for their needs, but they must be under federal and state law,” said Michelle Movahed, a senior staff attorney at New York Legal Assistance Group, a nonprofit group that is representing the students and their families. “This is not just a question of doing the right thing.”

Charter schools are publicly financed, but privately run, and they are required, like regular public schools, to provide individual learning plans for children with special needs.

The suit comes at a time when charter schools, especially those in the Success Academy network, have come under scrutiny for their enforcement of strict behavior codes, suspending even the youngest students. But advocates and families say that in both charters and traditional public schools, it can often be a struggle to ensure children with disabilities receive the services to which they are entitled.

A spokeswoman for Achievement First said on Thursday that the organization was reviewing the lawsuit. In a statement, she strongly defended the Crown Heights school’s record with special needs students.

“We serve a substantial number of students with both modest and significant special education needs, and our school leaders, teachers and other professionals work tirelessly each day to serve all our students well,” Leonore Waldrip, a spokeswoman for the charter network, said in the statement. “Most of our students who receive special education services are experiencing real growth, and we have high levels of overall parent satisfaction.

“That said, we constantly strive to improve our program and, in particular, have made significant improvements in our special education supports in recent years,” she said.

Dottie Morris, who has two children at Achievement First Crown Heights, said she had been battling with the school for years on behalf of her son, a third grader identified in the suit by his initials, D.W., to protect his privacy.

Ms. Morris said that despite her repeated requests, it took Achievement First more than two years to provide a paraprofessional to help her son. This school year, the suit asserts that Achievement First and the city’s Education Department did not provide D.W. with occupational therapy for about five weeks and physical therapy for two months, and that no makeup sessions have been arranged.

Achievement First Crown Heights has also punished D.W., who is autistic, for “behaviors that are caused by, or have a direct and substantial relationship to, his disability,” according to the complaint.

D.W. was punished by the school for not looking where he was instructed to, or for “perceived misbehavior in the noisy, crowded cafeteria, an environment that can be overstimulating to children with D.W.’s diagnosis,” the suit said. His punishments have included being sent, as a third grader, to a second-grade classroom.

The complaint describes this approach as part of Achievement First’s strict approach to discipline. It quotes the network’s website, which describes a policy of “sweating the small stuff.”

“In many urban schools, teachers and leaders ‘pick their battles,’ only addressing egregious instances of poor behavior,” the website goes on, according to the complaint. “Achievement First, on the other hand, has adopted sociologist James Q. Wilson’s ‘broken windows’ theory that even small details can have a significant effect on overall culture, and we believe that students will rise to the level of expectations placed on them.”

That approach does not work for her son, Ms. Morris said. “They treat all the kids the same,” she said. “There’s no differentiation if you have special needs.”

A spokesman for the state’s Education Department said it did not comment on pending litigation. A spokesman for the city’s Law Department said lawyers had not yet seen the suit on Thursday afternoon.

A version of this article appears in print on November 6, 2015, on page A24 of the New York edition with the headline: Special Education Students’ Needs Not Met, Lawsuit Says.




●●smf: Certainly the allegations that some charter schools and charter management organizations are sometimes remiss in providing services to special needs students is not unique to Brooklyn. The news that some charters and charter orgs – such as Achievement First and KIPP - discipline policies are strict is not new – and may even attract some parents to those programs.

Sociologist James Q. Wilsons’s “Broken Windows’” philosophy [http://bit.ly/1L1Zk0W] is usually applied to no-nonsense/zero-tolerance criminology and law enforcement, not school management.

The interesting point here is that The New City Department of Education (the school district) and the New York State Education Department are named as plaintiffs – holding them directly responsible and legally accountable for enforcing the charter school’s federal+state legal responsibilities and contractual charter provisions.

____________________

UPDATE NOV 11: FROM AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN

Imagine a school where the principal keeps a “Got to Go” list of the kids they plan to push out through harsh discipline or administrative deception.

According to the New York Times1, that’s exactly what happened at Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City.

Fatima Geidi—a mother who had to remove her child with special needs from a Success Academy school after repeated suspensions for minor infractions—has started a petition with our partners at Color of Change, asking the Department of Education to conduct a civil rights investigation into Success Academy Charter Schools and to halt federal funding during the investigation. Sign her petition here! | http://bit.ly/1j0X9Eg

In exchange for taxpayer funding, charter schools are required to serve all students. But at Success Academy, “zero-tolerance” policies and draconian rules are used to justify a suspension rate more than seven times higher than at other city schools2.

Moskowitz claims that the “Got to Go” list was the work of a single, overzealous principal. But recent reporting on Success Academy’s extreme discipline policies— including suspending kindergartners for “infractions” like not sitting still or calling out answers in class3—make it clear that a broader investigation is needed to ensure the fair treatment of more than 11,000 students who attend Success Academy's 34 schools.

Sign Fatima’s petition at Color of Change, and ask the Department of Education to investigate Success Academy charters and to halt all federal funding while the investigation is ongoing.

Zero-tolerance policies disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities. Out of school suspensions discourage kids from returning to school—which is exactly how Success Academy tried to get rid of the kids placed on their “Got to Go” list.

Many of us—myself included—advocated for zero-tolerance policies, thinking they would lead to safer schools and better learning environments.

We were wrong. More than two decades of data show these policies have failed to improve school safety. As I recently wrote in the New York Daily News4, we need practices that will help kids learn positive behaviors, not punishments that push them out of school.

We should not reward schools that use suspensions to intentionally push kids out of school. Please sign Fatima’s petition, and ask the Department of Education to hold Eva Moskowitz and Success Academy accountable.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten

_________________
1: At A Success Academy Charter School, Singling Out Students Who Have 'Got to Go' The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/nyregion/at-a-success-academy-charter-school-singling-out-pupils-who-have-got-to-go.html

2: Student Discipline, Race and Eva Moskowitz's Success Academy Charter Schools, The Albert Shanker Institute http://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/student-discipline-race-and-eva-moskowitz’s-success-academy-charter-schools

3: Is kindergarten too young to suspend a student? PBS NewsHour http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/kindergarten-young-suspend-student/

4: Our school discipline mistake: We should never have imposed zero-tolerance policies on kids, New York Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/randi-weingarten-school-discipline-mistake-article-1.2426358


Pop Quiz: WHAT’S WRONG WITH L.A. UNIFIED’S LEADERSHIP? Answer: JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
by Steve Lopez | L.A. Times Columnist | http://lat.ms/1H2yLOd

14 Nov. 2015 | 10:00 AM :: The more you hear about attempts to improve the nation's schools, the sorrier you have to feel for the kids.

After years of "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top" initiatives, national test scores dived deeper into failure and mediocrity in the last reading. In a stunning reversal, the Obama administration, a tireless champion of more and more testing, is now whistling a different tune.

There's too much testing going on out there.

Arne Duncan, Obama's education secretary, said his conversations with countless educators have made him realize "how much time testing and test prep are taking from instruction."

Translation: Instead of testing, let's try teaching.

It couldn't happen too soon in test-oppressed California, where recent headlines tell a sobering story about achievement, or lack thereof.

"California test scores in the cellar," said one. "California test scores among worst in U.S.," said another.

Recently released statewide Common Core test results were no better, and L.A. Unified students scored below California averages in disturbing fashion. In math, three-fourths of LAUSD students did not meet state standards. In English, two-thirds were underwater.

So what's wrong in Los Angeles?

The first problem, which never gets enough attention in the school-reform debate, has nothing to do with schools. LAUSD is a district made up primarily of poor children, and to be fair to district administrators and teachers, this presents daily challenges that are unknown to more affluent districts.

The second problem is that in L.A. Unified, it's rarely clear who's in charge, and that's certainly the case now.

The last superintendent, John Deasy, was shooed out of office in part because of his own blunders and the unresolved question of who was captain of the listing ship — Deasy or the school board. And there are signs that board members, terrorized by Deasy for so long, never recovered from their PTSDeasy.

The current superintendent, Ramon Cortines, is a temporary fill-in and lame duck who wants only one thing for Christmas: his retirement papers.

And the search for a replacement is a peculiar and naturally contentious spectacle, part public but mostly private, involving a private consulting firm. Because you can never hire too many outsiders while schoolhouses deteriorate and bean counters warn of a projected $333-million deficit in a district with a shrinking enrollment.

Complicating the search for a new boss is a lack of consensus as to what kind of superintendent the district should go after.

A visionary?

A crusader?

A baby sitter?

You'd almost have to scratch anybody naive enough to want the job, especially if a flak jacket and Humvee are not part of the package. The new superintendent will be rolling straight into the crossfire of a raging war between charter school champions and charter school foes.

That's not a new conflict, but the stakes got higher when The Times' Howard Blume broke the story of a massive $490-million plan — mapped out in secret — by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad and other self-anointed saviors of the American way. They'd like to funnel no less than half of LAUSD's schools into charters, rescuing them from the rusted machine of district bureaucracy and politics.

The teachers union, which would lose busloads of its members and much of its clout, is militantly aggrieved and philosophically opposed to what it calls the corporatization of public schools. The union contends with reasonable logic that a dramatic multiplication of charters — not all of which are necessarily a better alternative — would drain money from non-charters, leaving many of the district's poorest students in the lurch.

Broad, I should note, isn't the only local billionaire making headlines for claiming to know what's missing from local school options. David Geffen, apparently unimpressed with the public and private school offerings in West L.A., last week pledged $100 million to establish a private middle and high school on the UCLA campus for the children of UCLA staff and others, with financial aid for 40% of the students.

It's a lovely gesture but part of a rich-get-richer narrative, if you ask me. UCLA has a $2.2-billion endowment as it is. Geffen made his fortune in music and film, and after The Times' recent expose on devastating reductions in LAUSD arts programs here in the world's entertainment capital, it would have been nice to see the mogul come to the rescue. There are school bands without horns and canvases without paint brushes, and the hardest-hit programs are in the poorest ZIP Codes.

But it's Geffen's money, just as it's Broad's money, and if one or both have a lack of faith in L.A. Unified's ability to provide good options for every student, can you blame them?

Let's not forget that tens of thousands of students are on waiting lists for charters because they're not wild about the schools they're in.

And what's the school board doing?

It's trying to head those parents off at the pass. Board members are obsessed with talking about and introducing motions to stall charter growth. New board member Scott Schmerelson said he opposes the Broad plan and wants to instead prioritize "access to quality public education for all students."

Then clam up and get to work on that, already.

Focus on instruction.

Track down, study and clone the best principals.

Find ways to give teachers the gift of smaller classes.

Turn schools into after-hours community centers.

Do some screaming about California's shameful national ranking in student funding.

Celebrate and replicate the district's many strong magnets and other schools, so parents don't go looking for charter alternatives.

Ban 12-hour board meetings that do nothing but raise the level of noxious gas.

Set coherent policies that serve the interests of students rather than adults, hire a superintendent to implement them, and get out of the way.

And just as Arne Duncan came to the realization that testing is no substitute for instruction, keep in mind at all times that pontificating, grandstanding and politicking are no substitutes for leading.


HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
CA's ACADEMIC RATINGS TARGETED 4 REPEAL: If the API is repealed w/o Parent Trigger Gloria ®omero threatens lawsuit
http://bit.ly/1MvAdp0ELI

ELI BROAD’S COVER LETTER TO HIS CHARTER PLAN: Explaining the “Landmark Opportunity” and how+why “Los Angeles is well-positioned to achieve 50% charter market-share.”
http://bit.ly/1loEELF

PHILOSOPHERS vs. WELDERS: CAN’T WE HAVE BOTH?
http://bit.ly/1PHk58m

DO SCHOOL FUNDRAISERS VIOLATE THE SPIRIT OF LAUSD’S JUNK FOOD POLICY?
http://bit.ly/1loqrP4

EVEN THE PLANES STOP FLYING FOR SOUTH KOREA'S MULTIPLE CHOICE NATIONAL EXAM DAY ON NOV 12 | http://n.pr/1MOZOIZ

LAUSD UNIONS SILENT OVER FINANCIAL REPORT PREDICTING TROUBLE AHEAD - LA School Report http://bit.ly/1j0OzW8

L.A. UNIFIED WANTS TO KNOW IF STUDENT’S FAMILIES HAVE EVER BEEN IN THE MILITARY
http://bit.ly/1HHa35T

WHY POVERTY AND SEGREGATION (+ the School-to-Prison-Pipeline) MERGE AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
http://bit.ly/1LdTJVp

U*P*D*A*T*E*D :: BROAD CHARTER PLAN COULD RESHAPE LAUSD: Critics warn it could bankrupt the district

Just In: RATLIFF EXPLORING LAUSD CONVERSION INTO A CHARTER DISTRICT
http://bit.ly/1kQNMrV

BROAD OFFICIAL DEFENDS CHARTER SCHOOLS AT INVITATION ONLY FORUM FOLLOWING LEAK OF EXPANSION PLAN
http://bit.ly/1OHcvfn

A YEAR LATER, SECRECY SURROUNDS FBI PROBE OF LAUSD’S iPAD PROGRAM + smf’s 2¢
http://bit.ly/1RQpucl

Waiting for the Übermensch: APPARENTLY ‘VISION’ ISN'T A SUPERPOWER WE ARE WAITING FOR | 2 from The Times+smf’s 2¢

U*P*D*A*T*E*D :: FEDERAL LAWSUIT ACCUSES NYC CHARTER OF FAILING 2 PROVIDE SPECIAL ED SERVICES +smf+Randi Weingarten's 2¢
http://bit.ly/1HirvNV

L.A. Times Editorial Board (bought+paid-for by Eli Broad) whines: “IT’S TIME TO STOP WHINING ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS”
http://bit.ly/1WPqsH5

Sandy Banks: IN LAUSD, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS LITTLE MORE THAN A SLOGAN
http://bit.ly/1HF9B2O


EVENTS: Coming up next week...
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 9:30 A.M.BUDGET, FACILITIES AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 1:00 p.m. - REGULAR BOARD MEETING - Including Closed Session Items and Superintendent Search

Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 4:00 pm - SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL CLIMATE COMMITTEE

*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


• LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR



What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@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, county supervisor, state legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!


Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them?




Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for over 12 years. He is Vice President for Health, Legislation Action Committee member and a member of the Board of Directors of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors he hopes to someday deserve. • In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids.
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