LUDICROUS³: The consensus of opinion of serving and retired LA County superintendents on John Deasy’s superintendency

smf writes for 4LAKidsNews

4 Sept 2014  ::  I spoke this afternoon separately to three different school superintendents from three distinct and different school districts in L.A. County - two retired and one still practicing the craft – about their impression of the current kerfuffle ongoing in LAUSD – and the three principal challenges of the moment.

1. The matter of the iPads and the Apple/Pearson contract
2. The MiSiS Crisis
3. The non-approval of LAUSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan by the L.A. County Office of Education.

All three advanced the word “ludicrous” into the conversation without being prompted within the first thirty seconds – and I assure you I never prompted anything in the way of word association or “What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say….”

It was the first time two of us had ever spoken, one I had spoken to before.  Our conversation was frank and “on the record” – though their names are not. The serving supe - from a district in the San Gabriel Valley -  requires anonymity for obvious reasons – the other two work as active consultant-coaches  to districts and school boards in the county.

All three are convinced that Deasy’s supertendency is flawed at best and questioned the propriety – and good sense and haste – of the iPad rollout as it was done …though all three spoke compellingly in favor of 1:1 computing and technology. When part of a plan with funding and training and – lest I seem redundant: long term planning.

All three also questioned the haste with which the MiSiS System came on line.

All three had questions about the LAUSD LCAP.

All three challenged the alleged ‘transparency’ claimed by LAUSD’s leadership – with expressions like ‘fast-and-loose’ with the bond funds and the Local Control Funding Formula money being common in the conversations.

Mostly all three felt that LAUSD’s shenanigans were screwing it up for LAUSD’s students – who deserve better - and for other districts/superintendents/boards of education who might try to do something big or brave. “Deasy has ruined it for the rest of us.”

As the serving supe said; “It is Good Teaching that is a civil right …iPads are only a tool.”

Our serving superintendent gave me a musical lyric to add to the 4LAKids playlist. The whole episode reminds him of the little Texas Sidestep that Charles Durning as the well-meaning-but-thoroughly-bent governor sang+danced in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

You can lead the people …or you can lead the people on.

Fellow Texans, I am proudly standing here to humbly see.
I assure you, and I mean it- Now, who says I don't speak out as plain as day?
And, fellow Texans, I'm for progress and the flag- long may it fly.
I'm a poor boy, come to greatness. So, it follows that I cannot tell a lie.
     Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don't-
     I've come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step,
     cut a little swathe and lead the people on.
Now my good friends, it behooves me to be solemn and declare,
I'm for goodness and for profit and for living clean and saying daily prayer.
And now, my good friends, you can sleep nights, I'll continue to stand tall.
You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon ya'll...
    Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don't-
     I've come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step,
     cut a little swathe and lead the people on.
Now, Miss Mona, I don't know her, though I've heard the name, oh yes.
But, of course I've no close contact, so what she is doing I can only guess.
And now, Miss Mona, she's a blemish on the face of that good town.
I am taking certain steps here, someone somewhere's gonna have to close her down.
     Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep, now they see me now they don't-
     I've come and gone and, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step,
     cut a little swathe and lead the people on.
     Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep...
     And, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step...
     Cut a little swathe and lead the people on.

- music & lyrics by Dolly Parton

More this weekend; stay tuned.