Is he or isn’t he?: L.A. SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY SAYS HE’LL TALK MORE AFTER HIS JOB EVALUATION

By Howard Blume, L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/1fZIZj1

10:28 PM PDT, October 24, 2013  ::  L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy said he will have more to say about his future with the school system Tuesday, after he is evaluated by the Board of Education. In the meantime, Deasy said, he has not submitted a letter of resignation.

School board President Richard Vladovic, who earlier was described as "shocked, saddened and surprised" by Deasy's impending departure, had been referring to rumors that the superintendent was leaving, a spokesman said Thursday evening.

Earlier, Mike Trujillo, Vladovic's spokesman, told The Times that Deasy informed Vladovic personally that he was leaving.

A second high-level L.A. Unified School District source said Deasy had been telling officials that he could be leaving in February.  

Deasy has come under heavy criticism by those inside and outside the school district over his handling of the iPad rollout this fall. He has been accused of doing too much, too soon, leaving key questions unanswered in the $1-billion project. A special board meeting is to be held Tuesday to discuss his revised plans for distribution of the tablets.

The board is scheduled to discuss Deasy's performance evaluation in a closed-session meeting earlier Tuesday.

The departure of Deasy, 52, would end the relatively brief tenure of a leader who made his mark with aggressive, sometimes controversial policies in L.A. Unified.

His major initiatives have included revamping teacher evaluations to include the use of students’ standardized-test scores. He also altered the seniority system to limit the effect of job cuts at schools with large numbers of less-experienced instructors, who are generally the first to be laid off.

Deasy was closely allied with former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who left office this year because of term limits. Deasy’s political position weakened further in recent school board elections, when two candidates backed by Deasy allies lost. The newly constituted board has made no moves against Deasy but quickly began to challenge more of his policies.

The superintendent threatened to resign when the school board was poised to elect Vladovic as board president in July. The board elevated Vladovic anyway, and Deasy stayed.

Vladovic and Deasy have been at odds in the past, but “Dr. Vladovic felt that he and John Deasy had achieved a positive working relationship on behalf of kids,” Trujillo said.