Thursday, June 24, 2010

CONTROVERSIES SURROUND LAUSD’S NEW HIRE JOHN DEASY + DID DEASY TAKE IT EASY? + ROBERT FELNER GOES TO PRISON

By Patrick Range McDonald,  LA Weekly

JohnDeasy0222051.jpgWednesday, Jun. 23 2010 -- Board members of the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to hire John Deasy as deputy superintendent yesterday, which will make him a major player in the operation of the nation's second largest public school system, and a possible successor to Superintendent Ramon Cortines.

John Deasy>>

While the Los Angeles Times touts Deasy's previous jobs with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Prince George's Public County Schools in Maryland, and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, the Griffith Park Wayist [ follows] reports that the new deputy superintendent found himself in the middle of two major controversies only a few years ago.

The blog writes that, in 2008, Capital News Service found "two anomalies" in Deasy's resume. One involved stating the wrong date he received a master's degree, and the other was about the listing of a faculty position in the doctoral program of Educational Leadership and Social Justice at Loyola Marymount University from 2003 to present.

According to Capital News Service, Loyola's human resources department could not find Deasy listed as a current or past faculty member.

The Griffith Park Wayist also offers up a Baltimore Sun article that goes into how Deasy was caught in another controversy in 2008: He received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Louisville after completing only nine credits.

But among LAUSD board members, who are led by president Monica Garcia*, it appears Deasy's completely off the hook for whatever sins he may have previously committed -- with the L.A. Times completely ignoring the controversies in its coverage over the past two days.

The L.A. Times does report that the LAUSD board gave Deasy an annual salary of $275,000 -- $25,000 more than his boss, Ramon Cortines.

The newspaper also makes the point that Deasy appears to be a strong contender to succeed Cortines when he is expected to retire sometime in the next two years.

_________

* known for the quote: "I don't know what is interesting here" re: Superintendent Cortines outside employment as a Director of textbook publisher/LAUSD contractor-supplier Scholastic Corporation at the same time he was LAUSD Superintendent. | http://bit.ly/dy2oCo

 

DID LAUSD’S DEASY TAKE IT EASY?

Posted by mulholland terrace to the  Griffith Park Wayist blog at 6/22/2010 01:29:00 PM

Ramon C. Cortines has just announced that the LAUSD has hired the Gates Foundation's John Deasy to the post of Deputy Superintendent of the District.
Deasy's name appeared in the news in Maryland in 2008 when the question of whether or not he had falsified his resume came up. The prospective falsifications involve a Social Justice program at Loyola Marymount.

Deasy is already under scrutiny for receiving a doctorate from the University of Louisville with only nine credit hours. He was awarded his doctorate two years after giving the research company owned by his adviser, Robert Felner, a three-year, $375,000 contract. Felner is under federal investigation for misappropriation of funds.**
Deasy listed a faculty position in the doctoral program of Educational Leadership and Social Justice at Loyola Marymount University, Calif., from 2003 to present. The university's human resources department could not find him listed as a current or former faculty member.
There also was a date discrepancy on the resume he had on file in the Prince George's Schools office of the superintendent.
The Baltimore Sun speculated whether Deasy's move to the Gates Foundation was precipitated by the resume problems.
Last month, the Courier-Journal in Louisville reported that Deasy had been awarded a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Lousville in 2004 although he had only completed nine credits, or about a semester, there. He had completed more than 70 credits at other universities, according to published reports.

Typically, a doctoral candidate would have to be at Louisville for one year and complete twice as many credits while in residence there to get a degree.

Deasy's academic advisor at the university was the dean of education, Robert Felner, who is now under a federal investigation, the paper reported, for his possible misuse of federal funds.

____

** PageOneKentucky reports that Felner went to one of those federal ‘country club'’ prisons today: 24 June 2010! - Robert Felner Goes to Prison Update | http://bit.ly/dc92iV

more from PageOneKentucky:

Robert Felner Goes To Prison Update

June 24th, 2010 · 4 Comments

It’s true. Robert Felner is headed to prison:

The Federal Prison Camp in Montgomery, Alabama, located on Maxwell Air Force Base.
Here’s hoping he’ll put us on his visitor list. It’d do him swell to, you know, give me a tell-all interview. Could go a long way toward restoring his reputation for when he’s [...]

Rumor: Robert Felner Surrendering Tomorrow

June 22nd, 2010 · 10 Comments

Could it be?
I hear through the grape vine that Robert Felner is allegedly surrendering tomorrow and will begin his sentence at a federal prison in Alabama.

[Read more →]

Tags: Corruption · Education · Robert Felner · UofL

Remember John Deasy, Of Robert Felner Infamy?

June 21st, 2010 · 2 Comments

Here he is in the Winter 2009 issue of Philanthropy:
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Need more of a refresher? Here:

Explosive New Robert Felner Scandal Brewing [September 8, 2008]
Update On the Deasy Shenanigans at UofL [September 10, 2008]
Breaking Deasy Update: Ramsey Appoints Review Committee [September 10, 2008]
The Robert Felner Story Hits the WaPo [September 11, 2008]
Felner-Deasy Update — [...]

[Read more →]

No comments: