Tuesday, February 23, 2010

THE DENOUEMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE: The day that was: Tuesday Feb 23rd as of 8:35 pm

`de·noue·ment

/ˌdeɪ|nuˈmɑ̃/  Show Spelled[dey-noo-mahn]|

–noun

1.the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.

2.the place in the plot at which this occurs.

3.the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.

smf writes for 4lakids:

The board meeting today produced interesting results, some expected – some not. For the most part the superintendent's recommendations were accepted – but there were notable exceptions.

  • ICEF, Green Dot and The Alliance for College Ready Schools – powerhouse charter operators with programs recommended for acceptance – were repudiated.

  • The Mayor’s Partnership for LA Schools picked up a school that they weren’t recommended for.

  • The veracity of evidence and data challenging charter school acceptance of English Language Learners and Special Ed students was intensely questioned – 'good data' supports one's position, 'bad data' is to be denied.

  • And though the entire PSC evaluation and review process was supposed to be data driven and evidence based, it t turned out that potential operators were not evaluated on past performance on but on whether they agree to follow the rules in the future.

  • The board followed the unwritten 'Don't mess in my bailiwick' rule of following the lead of the member in their district when Boardmember LaMotte offered an amendment that was accepted denying ICEF at Obama Middle School in her district.

  • Board President Garcia then violated the same rule on the next vote (denying Green Dot and The Alliance at Estaban Torres High School) by offering an amendment on a school not in her district but in Yolie Flores’. Garcia's amendment carried.

  • As Flores is the author of the PSC resolution – and the champion of the superintendent’s recommendations – the tension rose, the board grew more and more divided and the politics got fast and furious.

  • Horsetrading happened in the open – and operators denied this time were assured of better treatment next time (unless some wise judge stops them before they choose again!)

  • Advance approval was guaranteed of a Pilot School at Gratts Elementary next year even though one wasn't even requested.

Democracy is messy when the sausage is made.

Notable quotes:

NURY MARTINEZ resurrected Connie Rice's metaphor of LAUSD reform as building the aircraft in flight. They have built their plane and it follows the script of Flight of the Phoenix – where it turns out the designer of the plane has only built scale models. Now they have to fly it – and land the puppy!

SUPT. CORTINES: “The Public School Choice process has divided us..... (that's Freudian) ….I mean provided us with an opportunity.....”

STEVE ZIMMER: (On the 'Parent Trigger'): “You can't declare war on people and not expect them to act like combatants.” “The 'red shirts' and the 'white shirts' are not the future. The future is in the plans.”

TAMAR GALATZAN: “Nothing is happening in my district, no Focus Schools, no pilots for individual student funding. You are ignoring half of the valley; successful schools are and need to be part of the wave of the future.”

MARGUERITE LAMOTTE: “It has been said by some that charter schools reestablish segregation; I cannot and will not say to my constituents that the money you gave for the bonds is being given to charter schools.”

RICHARD VLADOVIC: “In the past we have written the best plans in the worlds. We have placed them on the best shelves in the world where they collected the best dust in the world.”

MONICA GARCIA: “No one on this board takes their job lightly; I hope I can say no one in this district takes their job lightly. Tomorrow it takes all of us.”

 

from Google News

LA School Board Snubs Charter School Operators

CBS 13 - Christina Hoag - ‎27 minutes ago‎

The district already boasts the highest number of charter schools of any school district in the country. More than 160 of its 800 schools are run by ...

City Approves School Plan

Wall Street Journal - Tamara Audi - ‎44 minutes ago‎

He recommended awarding the remaining 28 schools to groups led by Los Angeles Unified School District teachers. The board ratified most of Mr. Cortines's ...

Los Angeles Times

LAUSD turns over control of schools to outside groups

Los Angeles Times - ‎1 hour ago‎

... outside the downtown Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters. Bidders inside and outside the district have been vying for the schools under a ...

LAUSD Grants Control Of Several Campuses To Outside Groups

LA Weekly (blog) - Dennis Romero - ‎2 hours ago‎

23 2010 @ 5:58PM ​Despite a demonstration by members of the teacher's union, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District Tuesday voted to roughly ...

LA school board OKs handing schools to nonprofits

San Jose Mercury News - Christina Hoag - ‎2 hours ago‎

AP LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles school board has approved a plan to turn over the operation of 30 campuses to nonprofit educational groups, but most of the ...

 

LAUSD board approves new administration for 36 schools

89.3 KPCC - ‎2 hours ago‎

The powerful United Teachers Los Angeles, which helped teachers craft successful reform plans, wants to put a stop to the process before then. ...

School Handoff Plan Divides LA

Wall Street Journal - Tamara Audi - ‎3 hours ago‎

He recommended awarding the remaining 28 schools to groups led by Los Angeles Unified School District teachers. The changes would affect 38000 students. ...

Awards for Teachers and Schools in Arts Education to be Held Downtown

LA Downtown News Online - ‎6 hours ago‎

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The Music Center of Los Angeles County this week announced the 14 teachers and six schools named as finalists in the 28th annual ...

Hundreds protest LA board vote on school choice

MyMotherLode.com - ‎7 hours ago‎

Hundreds of teachers and parents chanted slogans and waved placards in front of the Los Angeles school district headquarters Tuesday as the school board ...

Hundreds to protest LA board vote on school choice

Education Week News - ‎7 hours ago‎

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of teachers and parents plan to protest at a Los Angeles school board meeting in which the district could approve the transfer ...

 

No comments: