ANOTHER SUPERINTENDENT, ANOTHER REORGANIZATION

from the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Update, Week of December 15, 2014 | http://bit.ly/1z2FqRJ

Dec. 11, 2014 ::  Under the leadership of Superintendent Ramón Cortines, the Central Office and the Educational Service Centers have been restructured.  (see chart, following).

Notably, ESC Superintendents will oversee both instruction and operations. The Office of the Chief Operating Officer and the Divisions of Intensive Support and Intervention, Talent Management and Risk Management have been eliminated. Their functions have been absorbed by Human Resources (HR), the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and School Support (OCISS), the Office of the General Counsel and the new Educational Services Office.

Parent and Community Engagement and Operations will now report to the leadership of the Educational Service Centers (ESCs). An Office of Educational Services has been created and will be led by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Thelma Meléndez, formerly an administrator with Beyond the Bell and superintendent of Santa Ana and Pomona school districts. Educational Services will oversee many of the operations functions which were under the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, such as Food Services, Transportation Services, Procurement Services, School Operations, Student Health and Human Services, Adult Education, OEHS and Beyond the Bell. The options schools will report directly to the ESC in which they are located with the exception of Ramona, McAlister, Riley and Carlson which will report to OCISS.

The Division of Intensive Support and Intervention, led by Dr. Donna Muncey, will be absorbed by OCISS. Dr. Muncey will now serve as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Dr. Ruth Pérez, former superintendent of Norwalk-La Mirada School District. The Office of Risk Management is now part of the Office of the General Counsel. Matt Hill will remain Chief Strategy Officer, but will oversee ITD. The responsibilities of the Talent Management Division have been split between OCISS and HR.

These changes were effective December 1, 2014, and were “made to help the District operate more effectively and efficiently,” according to Superintendent Cortines.

Those who have been around a few years recognize that as the superintendency changes, so does the organizational structure. Each new chief needs the system to be structured in a manner in which he/she feels is logical and manageable. Many of these changes make perfect sense, particularly to move most options schools under the ESCs. These students deserve the right to be on the same educational trajectory as their peers in comprehensive middle and high schools, despite their challenges. The one reorganizational change with which we are puzzled is the inclusion of adult education under Educational Services. Isn’t adult education a function of instruction? Don’t adult students take courses which could lead to a GED or diploma? Why is this critical concurrent and community program lumped with support services?