In This Issue:
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ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER + WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS? |
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BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH |
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REPORT FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF THE AALA ANGELS |
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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:
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There have been forty-five school shootings in the U.S. this calendar year – and it’s only October 4th.
The earliest known shooting to happen on school property in North
America was the Pontiac's Rebellion school massacre on July 26, 1764,
where Delaware (Lenape) American Indian fighters entered the schoolhouse
near present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shot and killed
schoolmaster Enoch Brown, and killed ten children (reports vary). Only
one child survived. [http://bit.ly/1WEdnCt]
In recent memory I suppose it started in that tower at the University of Texas on August 1, 1966.
It didn’t start at Columbine in 1999 – but it’s a point of reference.
There have been thirty-four school shootings since Sandy Hook resulting in fatalities:
PLACE SCHOOL TYPE
● 1/8/2013 Fort Myers, FL Apostolic Revival Center Christian School K-12
● 1/15/2013 Hazard, KY Hazard Community and Technical College College
● 1/16/2013 Chicago, IL Chicago State University College
● 2/13/2013 San Leandro, CA Hillside Elementary School K-12
● 6/7/2013 Santa Monica,CA Santa Monica College College
● 6/19/2013 W. Palm Beach, FL Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts K-12
● 8/15/2013 Clarksville, TN Northwest High School K-12
● 8/23/2013 Sardis, MS North Panola High School K-12
● 9/21/2013 Savannah, GA Savannah State University College
● 10/21/2013 Sparks, NV Sparks Middle School K-12
● 12/13/2013 Arapahoe County, CO Arapahoe High School K-12
● 1/21/2014 West Lafayette, IN Purdue University College
● 1/24/2014 Orangeburg, SC South Carolina State University College
● 2/20/2014 Raytown, MO Raytown Success Academy K-12
● 4/11/2014 Detroit, MI East English Village Preparatory Academy K-12
● 4/21/2014 Griffith, IN St. Mary Catholic School K-12
● 5/21/2014 Milwaukee, WI Clark Street School K-12
● 6/5/2014 Seattle, WA Seattle Pacific University College
● 6/10/2014 Troutdale, OR Reynolds High School K-12
● 6/23/2014 Benton, MO Kelly High School K-12
● 8/14/2014 Newport News, VA Saunders Elementary K-12
● 10/3/2014 Fairburn, GA Langston Hughes High School K-12
● 10/24/2014 Marysville, WA Marysville-Pilchuck High School K-12
● 12/16/2014 Pittsburgh, PA Sunnyside Elementary School K-12
● 2/5/2015 Columbia, SC University of South Carolina College
● 2/15/2015 Merced, CA Tenaya Middle School K-12
● 4/13/2015 Goldsboro, NC Wayne Community College College
● 5/4/2015 Cleveland, OH Willow Elementary School K-12
● 7/24/2015 Converse, TX Elolf Elementary School K-12
● 8/8/2015 Wichita, KS Wichita State University College
● 8/27/2015 Savannah, GA Savannah State University College
● 9/3/2015 Sacramento, CA Sacramento City College College
● 9/14/2015 Cleveland, MS Delta State University College
● 10/1/2015 Roseburg, OR Umpqua Community College College
That doesn’t count church shootings, or off-campus shootings like Isla
Vista, or theater shootings, or military recruiter shootings. It
certainly doesn’t count the mindless gun+gang madness on our streets.
Crazy White guys with guns at schools. (The Umpqua shooter, who was mixed-race, is an outlier.)
It’s complicated: Sheriff John Hanlin: “Let me be very clear: I will not
name the shooter. I will not give him the credit he probably sought
with this horrific and cowardly act. You will never hear me mention his
name.”
Anonymous Infamy: Lovely thinking. Of course, Hanlin is on record
against increased gun control after Sandy Hook. Guns don’t kill people;
shooters-with-no-name kill people.
The victims, all from Oregon, had names:
• Lucero Alcaraz, 19, of Roseburg.
• Quinn Glen Cooper, 18, of Roseburg.
• Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, of Roseburg.
• Lucas Eibel, 18, of Roseburg.
• Jason Dale Johnson, 33, of Winston.
• Lawrence Levine, 67, of Glide.
• Sarena Dawn Moore, 44, of Myrtle Creek.
• Treven Taylor Anspach, 20, of Sutherlin.
• Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18, of Myrtle Creek.
Yes, how many deaths will it take till we know
That too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Lucero, Quinn, Kim, Lucas, Jason, Lawrence, Sarena, Treven & Rebecka. Godspeed.
TODAY IS TEN-FOUR: Ten-codes, especially "10-4" (meaning "understood" or
“I acknowledge”) first reached public recognition in the mid- to
late-1950s through the popular television series Highway Patrol, with
Broderick Crawford. Crawford would reach into his patrol car to use the
microphone to answer a call and precede his
mumbled-with-a-mouthful-of-marbles response with "10-4”.
ASKED AND UNANSWERED: On Tuesday, in between stories about a guy who
crashed his car into a light pole being attacked by bees and marijuana
dispensaries offering free pot to folks whose houses burned down in
Northern California there was: “FORMER L.A. MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA
ENDORSES CHARTER EXPANSION EFFORT” | http://lat.ms/1GhsXKA.
When asked if he’d be interested in the job of LAUSD superintendent,
Mayor Tony replied, with a grin: “I’ve already been asked.”
HAPPY HOLIDAYS (Luke 2:10): Arne Duncan is leaving (‘Ankling’ is the
Daily Variety word) as U.S. Secretary of Education in December. Some in
the media+Ed ®eform commentariat celebrate his “successes”:
Charterization, Privatization, Nationalization of-curricula (in the
guise of ‘state standards’), Reconstitution, Reorganization,
Union+Teacher Bashing, Disruption-for-disruption’s sake, Mayoral
control, Testing, Value-Addled Accountability, Competition, Bullying,
Data-Driven-to-Distraction, Carrot+Stick/Go-for-the-Dough/Race to the
Top.
Rather than reforming Race to the Top he granted waivers – with multiple
strings attached. Accountability anyone? He managed to piss-off not
just educators and organized labor but Lib Dems and the Tea Party! His
replacement isn’t going to be much of an improvement …but at least he
ain’t Arne!
AALA, THE ADMINISTRATOR’S UNION holds an annual back to school event at
the Conference Center of the Cathedral of the Angels. Last year I
apparently made a not-so-sotto-voce remark about how one doesn’t expect
the antichrist at a party at the cathedral when John Deasy made an
appearance (there may have been alcohol involved). I am told Dr. John
heard me. Dr. D. wasn’t there this year (though some Pearson peeps
were), a fine time was had by all - and I was on much better behavior.
PLEASE LISTEN CAREFULLY AS THE OPTIONS HAVE CHANGED …OR PARENT
ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL: Press ONE if you like the Early Start Calendar,
Press TWO if you think school should start after Labor Day, Press THREE
if you’d like a longer Holiday Break, Press FOUR if you’d like the
school board and the next superintendent figure out what’s best for
kids+education …and just do it!
MAGNET SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN CHARTER SCHOOLS: Pass it on/Apply today. | http://echoices.lausd.net]
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN
DECEMBER + WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS?
►ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY, TO STEP DOWN IN DECEMBER
By GARDINER HARRIS and MOTOKO RICH, NY Times | http://nyti.ms/1NcZDNb
OCT. 2, 2015 :: WASHINGTON — Arne Duncan, the secretary of education,
whose influential Race to the Top program offered financial incentives
for school districts to innovate, announced Friday that he would step
down in December, marking the departure of one of the longest-serving
members of President Obama’s cabinet.
Mr. Duncan was arguably one of the most powerful education secretaries
in history, both because of his personal ties to the president and the
billions of dollars in funding that came to the department as part of
the fiscal stimulus program during the financial crisis.
He was at times the subject of criticism from both parties, angering
Democrats by challenging teachers’ unions and infuriating Republicans by
promoting national academic standards.
Mr. Obama announced that he would nominate John B. King Jr., the deputy
education secretary and a former commissioner of education in New York
State, to replace Mr. Duncan.
“Arne’s done more to bring our educational system, sometimes kicking and
screaming, into the 21st century than anyone else,” Mr. Obama said at a
White House news conference on Friday. “It’s a record that I truly
believe that no other education secretary can match. Arne bleeds this
stuff.”
Mr. Duncan, who led the Chicago public schools before coming to
Washington and grew up in Mr. Obama’s Hyde Park neighborhood, had a bond
with the president that few other cabinet officials could match.
He thanked Mr. Obama for not determining education policy based on political expediency.
“For me, it’s not the political leadership; it’s not the educational
leadership; it’s the moral leadership” of Mr. Obama, Mr. Duncan said.
Mr. Duncan’s wife and children moved back to Chicago over the summer,
which led to speculation that Mr. Duncan would resign. As recently as
Wednesday, during a speech at the National Press Club, Mr. Duncan
responded to a question about his own plans. “There is so much work we
need to do not just for the next 14 months but for the next 14 years as a
nation,” he said, adding that he was “tunnel-visioned” in his current
job.
On Friday, Mr. Duncan said he no longer wanted to live without his
family. “I can’t wait to come home and see a couple of more track
meets,” he said.
Mr. King, in his own remarks on Friday, recounted the story of losing
his parents by the time he was 12, and credited teachers with putting
him on a path to succeed.
“New York City public schoolteachers are the reason I’m alive,” he said.
“They are the reason I became a teacher. They’re the reason I’m
standing here today.”
Congress is considering legislation that will leave Mr. King without the
authority or the financial resources wielded by Mr. Duncan.
The Race to the Top program offered billions of dollars to school
districts in a competition intended to spur them to innovate. While the
$4.35 billion in prizes represented a tiny fraction of overall
educational spending, the competition led most states to encourage
greater use of test scores in teacher evaluations, raise academic
standards, eliminate caps on charter schools and make it easier to fire
poor teachers, changes that enraged teachers’ unions and some parents.
Mr. Duncan pushed for more changes by offering relief to the most
onerous provisions of the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind law
in exchange for adoption of new academic standards like the Common
Core. Many state lawmakers and Republican presidential candidates have
criticized that program as federal overreach.
“I think history will show that this time period was the apex of
federal authority in education,” said Michael J. Petrilli, the president
of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a right-leaning education policy
group in Washington. “That’s in part because there’s a sense among
members of Congress but also among people in the education field that he
abused his power,” he said, referring to Mr. Duncan.
Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust, a left-leaning
nonprofit, said Mr. Duncan’s aggressive push to introduce new tests and
teacher evaluations was bound to create a backlash that would handcuff
his successors. Anyone who pushed that hard, she said, “was going to be a
villain no matter what.”
Mr. Duncan’s critics are an unusual coalition from the left and right.
“There’s no question that the Department of Education’s fixation on
charters and high-stakes testing has not worked,” said Randi Weingarten,
the president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s
second-largest teachers union, in a statement.
In an interview in April at the Education Writers Association, Mr.
Duncan said he accepted that some of his work was controversial but said
he fundamentally regretted that “education isn’t seen as a national
priority.”
Mr. King’s nomination will not please many of Mr. Duncan’s critics. As
commissioner of education in New York State, Mr. King oversaw the
rollout of the Common Core standards, as well as more difficult
standardized tests intended to measure student progress on those
standards, despite protests from parents and teachers.
●Gardiner Harris reported from Washington, and Motoko Rich from New York.
___________________
►WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS?
by Howard Blume, LA Times | http://lat.ms/1L2gsnt
Oct 2, 2015 6:59 PM :: Arne Duncan, who on Friday announced he will
step down as U.S. Secretary of Education in December, had a sometimes
stormy relationship with California, despite its status as a stronghold
of support for Democrats and the Obama administration.
An early conflict was the state’s effort to secure grants through
Duncan’s signature Race to the Top effort. States competed for the funds
based on their willingness to pursue reforms favored by the U.S.
Department of Education. The sticking point for California was that
states had to agree to a teacher evaluation system based, in part, on
measures such as student standardized test scores. In addition, state
teachers unions had to sign on to a state’s application.
Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican, supported the
requirements but could not secure agreement from teachers unions. The
state’s application was downgraded as a result and other states got the
money.
Other elements of Duncan’s push for major policy change included
increasing the number of charter schools. Charters are independently
managed and exempt from some rules that govern traditional public
campuses. Duncan also promoted aggressive school “turnarounds,” which in
many places meant replacing the entire staff at a school or closing a
traditional school, with its union-represented workforce, and replacing
it with a non-union charter school.
Duncan’s department had a huge influence in shaping education policy
because it used grants to fill a vacuum left by Congress, whose members
could not agree on education policies.
Both support and criticism for Duncan’s actions crossed party lines.
Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential candidate, opined that he’d be
willing to keep Duncan on the job in a Republican White House.
Meanwhile, Duncan's staunchest critics included teachers unions, a
critical Democratic constituency.
California Gov. Jerry Brown came into office as an ally of teachers
unions and a skeptic of many reforms he regarded as faddish and
unproven. His administration resisted federal conditions for certain
grants and refused to bend when Duncan wanted the state to continue
using old state standardized tests until new ones were ready. In that
resistance, Brown was joined by majorities in the state Legislature and
by Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, who also had political
support from teachers unions.
California’s issues with Duncan were related not only to test scores and
teacher evaluations, said Michael W. Kirst, president of the state
Board of Education. Duncan wanted states to exert more authority over
local school systems at a time when the state was trying to be less
heavy-handed, to promote creative solutions at the local level, Kirst
said.
Allies of Duncan, meanwhile, were concerned that local control in
California would equate to tolerating poor academic achievement.
In contrast to California — and in exchange for federal money — many
states quickly embraced Duncan’s reform agenda, which also had support
from major philanthropies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad
Foundation.
Unable to move state government in Sacramento, advocates in California
sometimes turned to the courts instead. In 2014, they won a ruling that
overturned traditional teacher job protections such as tenure rights and
layoffs based on seniority. At the time, Duncan said the court’s
decision represented an opportunity “to build a new framework for the
teaching profession that protects students’ rights ... while providing
teachers the support, respect and rewarding careers they deserve.”
The group that brought the case, Vergara vs. California, lauded Duncan on Friday.
“Secretary Duncan refused to turn a blind eye to broken systems that
chronically fail the students in our country already struggling through
poverty and violence outside of school,” said Manny Rivera, a spokesman
for the advocacy group Students Matter. “Secretary Duncan spurred states
to take action to elevate the quality and equity of America’s public
schools.”
Brown is appealing the Vergara ruling, in conjunction with the state’s two largest teachers unions.
Praise for Duncan also came from the Broad Foundation, which has
circulated a plan to enroll half the students from L.A. Unified in
charters over the next eight years.
"Secretary Duncan has done a remarkable job,” said Paul Pastorek,
co-executive director of the foundation. Duncan, he said, “was
relentless in focusing on reducing the number of chronically
low-achieving schools.”
On some matters, California political leaders proved to be welcome allies for Duncan and vice versa.
When a nationwide recession gripped California, forcing staggering
cutbacks in state government spending, school districts were poised for
draconian budget slashing. Federal economic stimulus money prevented
deep cutbacks from becoming cataclysmic, according to both supporters
and critics of Duncan.
And California, in turn, proved fertile ground for the new learning
goals called the Common Core, which were developed with substantial
federal assistance. California also agreed to take part in new
standardized tests that are based on the Common Core learning targets.
The tests, and even the learning goals themselves, have been
increasingly debated. Texas and seven other states never approved, or
backed away from, the Common Core. In New York, about 20% of parents
refused to let their children take the new tests, which could compromise
their statistical validity.
"Some of his policies were not a good fit for California and some were,” Kirst said.
In Los Angeles, Duncan was cautiously allied with opponents of the
teachers union on policy. He repeatedly praised former Supt. John Deasy
as one of the nation’s top superintendents. But Duncan also tried to
avoid picking fights -- he also praised current Supt. Ramon C. Cortines,
who has a better rapport with employee unions.
Duncan also gave L.A. Unified valuable relief from the outdated federal
No Child Left Behind Law. That law imposed penalties on districts that
could not reach unrealistic achievement targets. The administration only
relaxed these punitive measures when states agreed to meet certain
federal conditions. Duncan could not agree on terms with California, and
he began to work instead with a group of California districts that
included L.A. Unified. Duncan ultimately granted these districts a
waiver from No Child Left Behind, which returned control of millions of
dollars annually to these schools systems.
Both for L.A. Unified and the nation as a whole, Duncan was an
enormously positive force, said Deasy, who called Duncan the "most
consequential secretary of education ever."
"He had a huge imprint on the education landscape, especially for youth
in poverty," Deasy said. "He was unflinching on high expectations for
all."
Deasy also praised Duncan's interim successor, John King, who is a deputy secretary in the Education Department.
▲Valerie Strauss describes John King’s stormy tenure as State
Commissioner of Education in Néw York: “IF YOU THOUGHT ARNE DUNCAN WAS
CONTROVERSIAL, MEET HIS SUCCESSOR” | The Washington Post | http://wapo.st/1iU9wCi
"No better person to follow and lead the department," Deasy said.
"Between his own personal story and leadership experiences, the
department and the youth of the country are in very, very good hands."
King previously was commissioner of New York's state education
department and also co-founded a charter school. His time in New York
was marked by controversy over the pace at which he moved the state to
the Common Core. Critics also faulted him for immediately linking
teacher evaluations to tests based on the new learning standards.
"New York wanted to be first to show that high-stakes testing was the
policy of the country, and John King wanted to make sure that New York
was first," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation
of Teachers. "It had a terrible polarizing effect.”
She said she also worried that King would continue along Duncan’s
ideological path, including his preference for spurring the growth of
charters, which she said has become a dangerous “magic bullet” strategy
in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Alex Caputo-Pearl, leader of L.A.'s teachers union, had a negative
appraisal of Duncan, including the secretary's support for charter
schools. Caputo-Pearl sides with those who say that many charters try to
exclude students who are more difficult and expensive to educate.
"He expanded the number of schools that don’t play by the same rules in
terms of serving students," Caputo-Pearl said. "He also increased the
amount of time spent on testing rather than learning. And he contributed
to the philosophy that you should run schools like a business, and the
idea that test scores are the bottom line."
In recent years, as a backlash developed against some of Duncan’s
favored reform strategies, he eased his insistence on some of them. He
began speaking more about gauging student achievement through measures
other than test scores or, at least, through measures in addition to
test scores.
“His position really evolved over time,” said Dale Russakoff, who has
written a book on how these favored reforms were pursued in the Newark,
N.J., school system. “He came in with this idea of Race to the Top, that
had very prescriptive changes that every state would make. But he
moderated his viewpoint. It says something about the whole reform
movement: There was an attitude of, ‘We know what works’ that has
evolved to incorporating more of the perspective of teachers, parents
and community groups.”
BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH
By The Times Editorial Board | http://lat.ms/1FN2Z7b
2 October 2015 :: The gloves are off between charter school supporters
and the Los Angeles Unified school board. And so far, their clash shows
all the calm maturity of a playground shouting match.
Charter schools in L.A. got higher scores on a recent round of
standardized tests than traditional district schools, the state's
charter school association pointed out. Oh, yeah? L.A. Unified replied.
Our magnet schools outscored your charter schools.
But you included the magnet schools for gifted children, the charters
retorted. Uh-huh, said the district, but even taking out those programs,
the magnets beat you.
Neener-neener.
This tacky exercise in one-upmanship follows the recent disclosure of a
dramatic, $480-million expansion plan to double the number of district
students attending charters. It's not surprising that such an
in-your-face move by charter school supporters — who want half of all
L.A. students to be in charters in eight years — has set off a wave of
anxiety among the district's teachers and officials. They have
legitimate reason to worry: Charters draw more-motivated and
higher-achieving students, so they often leave traditional schools worse
off, with less money to serve more students with behavioral problems
and disabilities.
Hence the aggressive response. Board member Scott Schmerelson recently
characterized the planned charter expansion as “an insult” to teachers
and “an attack on democratic, transparent and inclusive public school
governance....” His colleague Steve Zimmer called it a “hostile
takeover.”
But if the district really wants to fend off a charter incursion, its
best bet is not to ramp up the angry rhetoric but to create and build
the kinds of public schools that attract and keep students. Parents
whose children are happily enrolled in orderly, well-run neighborhood
schools, or exciting magnet schools, have little reason to switch.
The expansion plan is not an insult to anyone. It's a boon for kids and
their parents, who will have new and, we hope, better choices. The
district has its own stable of outstanding magnet schools — and some
regular public schools that are showing signs of major improvement — and
charter supporters should not be trying to diminish their reputations.
As with charter schools, there are waiting lists for district magnets.
So why isn't the district, which still has too many underperforming
schools, rapidly expanding its popular magnet program?
To his credit, Zimmer tried to do exactly that with an expanded
Mandarin-language program in Mar Vista, but NIMBY forces shut down his
plan.
Earlier this year, when he was running for school board, Schmerelson had
this to say: “Charter schools are here to stay. Let's not fight them,
let's embrace them…. My goal is to build up our traditional public
schools to the point that parents and students would have a difficult
time in deciding between a charter and a traditional public school.”
That's a smarter philosophy than his recent slam.
REPORT FROM THE CATHEDRAL OF THE AALA ANGELS
By Karen Wolfe (from her iPhone!) by email to 4LAKids
October 3, 2015 :: The AALA Fall Reception took place last Wednesday
at the Plaza Center at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Maybe,
with Pope Francis making the most sense of anyone in the halls of
Congress last week, AALA was hoping some of that holy mojo would rub off
on all the board members, senior district staff and administrators
present. There was no mention of any sacredness of the spot by AALA
president, Juan Flecha. Separation of church and state and all. So maybe
it was just the nearest available downtown venue. Regardless, the
speakers--especially the board members--seemed inspired.
Tom Torlakson, California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction,
offered a benediction of sorts - and then the more personal messages
followed.
Steve Zimmer, with his usual preachy oratorical flare, paid tribute to
the superintendent. "What Ray Cortines has done is one of the most
incredible acts of public service I have ever seen."
He went on to thank the administrators, particularly in light of the
horrific news of the high number of shootings in Los Angeles
neighborhoods over the weekend. He attempted to reassure the
administrators in the wake of the privateers' declaration of war against
LAUSD, saying, "We are going to walk through this fire together."
George McKenna offered the parables and personal anecdotes to which
we've become accustomed: "We can't just fight to fight; we have to fight
to win. When the elephants fight, only the grass gets trampled."
His best line, which seemed to either search for encouragement or to
serve as a warning, was: "We're either going to be the seven board
members or we are going to be the seven dwarves. And I am not going to
be Dopey!"
Monica Ratliff shared her uplifting comparison of those in attendance to
the administrators she's now working with in a nearby school district.
She said she had hoped to take a part time job outside LAUSD to bring in
some great ideas but reported that there she has witnessed no miracles.
"You experience challenges that many in many districts do not." She
also lamented, "We don't see a lot of news about how fantastic our
principals are."
If it's true that God helps those who help themselves, perhaps the
miracle was prophesied by the newest board member, Scott Schmerelson. He
thanked AALA members for being the first to endorse him in his
election. A retired principal, his folksy remarks sounded typical at
first: “I think it's very important that we model good behavior."
But then, like in a Catholic funeral mass, when a crescendo lifts the
deceased into the heavens, he led the charge: "There is to be no
bullying anywhere in LAUSD. And that is not just for kids. We need to
expose those bullies and embarrass them. And there is a big bully
running around and his name is Eli Broad and he will not bully us."
The audience roared. Or maybe that was the angels singing.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
THE ‘REANIMATION’ OF JOHN DEASY, WILL THE NEXT
SUPERINTENDENT BE A NATIVE? Includes UTLA video + AALA Update article http://bit.ly/1iV11a5
WHAT DID ARNE DUNCAN DO FOR CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS?
http://bit.ly/1OeBdmJ
Talk about getting the news wrong!: REPORT: LOS ANGELES UNIFIED WANTS TO TURN 50% OF ITS SCHOOLS INTO CHARTER SCHOOLS
http://bit.ly/1Rne0NJ
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR LAUSD MAGNET SCHOOLS BEGINS; PROCESS ENDS 11/13. Magnets consistently outperform charters!
http://bit.ly/1KShSUH
IF YOU THOUGHT ARNE DUNCAN WAS CONTROVERSIAL, MEET HIS SUCCESSOR - The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1iU9wCi
SEPP BLATTER: Coca-Cola say FIFA president must stand down http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/34430729 …
BETTER L.A. UNIFIED SCHOOLS WOULD BE BEST WEAPON AGAINST CHARTER PUSH
http://fw.to/yfn28tQ
JUDGE ORDERS LAWYER TO JAIL FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT IN L.A. UNIFIED CASE http://fw.to/mPyM4uP
NASBE @NASBE Oct 2 via @politicsk12 - Arne Duncan to Step Down as Ed. Sec., John King to Head Up Department -http://ow.ly/SWF6X
GREAT NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA! @GOVJERRYBROWN SIGNED AB329 INTO LAW -- CHEERS FOR A ROBUST SEX ED LAW THAT IS... http://fb.me/22yJY5Gmq
A little background/updated: LAUSD PHONE SURVEY SEEKS INPUT FOR THREE-YEAR SCHOOL CALENDAR
http://bit.ly/1O8ijho
"Good evening, this is Ray Cortines...." http://bit.ly/1FEM9HD
Message from the 'Uh-Oh Squad' http://bit.ly/1LkiANN
¿What are the 5 Q's?
¿COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL?: L.A. Unified wants to know when parents want school to be in session (Redux) http://bit.ly/1Vngdi1
LAUSD SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS ON PROPOSED SCHOOL YEAR CHANGES + smf’s 2¢
http://bit.ly/1MVqEVl
THREE YEARS LATER, RESULTS OF LAUSD’S ARTS EXPERIMENT ARE MIXED
http://bit.ly/1LKDzbf
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY COMMITTEE MEETING - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - 10:00 a.m.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE - Tuesday,October 6, 2015- 2:00 p.m.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING -Williams Valenzuela Textbook Sufficiency - Tuesday, October 6, 2015 - 4:00 p.m.
*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:
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!
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