LAUSD Headlines
A few of today's headlines on the LAUSD battle with the Mayor.LAUSD takeover plan is criticized
Daily Breeze Fri, 02 Dec 2005
The Los Angeles school board provided its first collective answer to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's call for a school district takeover, saying that having the mayor appoint board members would be undemocratic.
Chick Offers to Oversee Audit of L.A. Unified
Los Angeles Times Fri, 02 Dec 2005
City Controller Laura Chick proposed Thursday to oversee an audit of the Los Angeles school district management and operations, joining the mayor and other top city officials who have sought a role in reforming it.
L.A. controller offers to audit LAUSD for inefficiency
Daily Breeze Fri, 02 Dec 2005
Laura Chick says she is willing to serve as a "truth teller" on waste and inefficiency
within public schools.
Posted by Anonymous @ 12/02/2005 07:18:00 AM
33 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Did you see Patt Morrison's column in the Times yesterday? She followed up on the School Board's concern about Superintendent Romer's PR efforts. Right on target.
With Chick in charge we will never find out about those secret bonds, the Belmont fiasco, and bad school consturction. Why? Because anyone who benefitted from these frauds is a Villaraigosa and Huizar donor. Do you think she'll really go after Broad and his Beadury Building rip-off of the district. Case closed!
Do it Laura! What a story that would be.
When I served on the School Based Management and LEARN Councils at my son's high school several years ago, the parents finally twigged to the fact that they take in about 1000 9th graders every year and graduate about 500 12th graders. When we asked how that related to the "drop out rate", the District tried very hard to help us understand the simple mindedness of our approach. It is nice to see that this issue is finally being aired.
In fact, this is the case District wide. We figured out that the whole system is actually geared to these numbers. If the whole 1000 stayed for the full 4 years, there would be absolutely no place to put them all.
The School Board has had many years to address this situation, and all they have done is obfuscate. What is to become of a City when half of its children do not graduate from high school? The answer is seen every day in the streets.
There is plenty of blame to go around for everyone, including the parents who do not motivate and control their children. However, if we are to survive as a City, we have to find answers for that too.
It is the absolute duty of the Mayor to step into this vacuum and provide leadership, which will not exist otherwise. Again, our survival as a viable City os at stake. All credit to you, Mayor Antonio villaraigosa, for taking on this hornets' nest.
Obfuscate? Is this a campaign speech or what? Which candidate for Huizar's seat posted this?
anon 9:00:
That's my name at the top of the comment. Check out the candidate list - I'm not running for anything. I couldn't be elected dog catcher and that's fine with me.
Obfuscate is the operative word for Los Angeles city departments, from the Port to the School district.
Credit where credit is due, that's all.
I'm not in favor of THIS mayor appointing LAUSD board members, but I think the school board saying it would be "undemocratic" is a joke. You can get more people in L.A. to vote on what color suit the mayor should wear each day than would bother to vote in the LAUSD board seats, especially if there's no other major races going on locally.
Main Entry: ob·fus·cate
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Late Latin obfuscatus, past participle of obfuscare, from Latin ob- in the way + fuscus dark brown -- more at OB-, DUSK
1 a : DARKEN b : to make obscure
2 : CONFUSE
- ob·fus·ca·tion /"äb-(")f&s-'kA-sh&n/ noun
- ob·fus·ca·to·ry /äb-'f&s-k&-"tOr-E, &b-, -"tor-/ adjective
Example:
Antonio Villaraigosa has so far muddled his campaign promises with precise obfuscation. But will such obfuscatory responses keep him afloat until he runs for governor. Until then, his handlers will do nothing but obfuscate.
That's the word all right.
You idiots, with the word stuff.. get on with it already.
Yes indeed, how historically ginormous it would be if Laura Chick actually did crack the LAUSD open for public review and eventual prosecution. But let’s face it, Chick is just a chick; and the powers that be, as one blogger pointed out earlier, know that it doesn’t take much to make her cry (as she has done so publicly on numerous occasions in her career – a true heroine for aspiring women leaders, she is, because of it…). No, I’m afraid the only way to fix L.A. City schools is to break the Unions, eliminate civil service and make English the mandatory teaching language. Until then we’ll have to remain passively uncomfortable with the fact that we are rearing cadres of ignorant, illiterate, unthinking, and utterly useless adults; all of whom will rule our streets as we grow decrepit with age and continue to live without service and protection from the, certainly still then as now, overly reactive and dangerously impotent local government.
Local definition:
obfusc-80
Function: TRANSITIONAL verb (used to give the appearance one has been earning his paychecks for two years as a city councilmember, when attempting to "TRANSITION" to a new, better-paying job for which you are ALSO not qualified or deserving).
Example: "Then councilmember Antonio V. confused voters by telling a huge lie that he and his staff has started obfusc-80 FAKE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ORGANIZATIONS in a single, final year in CD14."
"Those OLD LIES, but GOODIES, remind me of AV..."
Tell me another 80 lies, Mr. Mayor -- that should take us into 2006.
Well she lit a few pretty good fuses under the DWP, Airport and Port, so it's worth a try.
The “fuses” you refer to, Noel, that Chickie-babe lit at DWP, the port etc. were only allowed to burn because they provided politically advantageous fodder for the AV campaign, a campaign that was backed by the aforementioned “powers that be” – perhaps more appropriately characterized as the “old white guys”. Bear in mind that after thousands of taxpayer’s dollars spent investigating and dozens of politically expedient headlines, Chickie’s hubbub only netted a handful of lap-dog staffers and a single uber sycophant. Further, it was Dowie’s own staff, not Chickie’s investigation exclusively, that provided the evidence necessary to bring him down. So while Chickie lit the fuse, disgruntled workers made use of the light and the old white guys decided when to turn it off. It’ll take a hell of a lot more than a fuse to expose what rots at the core of the LAUSD.
The fox in the hen house!!!!!!!!!!!
'Taco Villa' (AV) gets 6% of the vote which doesn't even qualify for dog catcher, and now he thinks he is qualified to appoint Lausd members!!!!
He was kicked out of Notre Dame High and had a gpa of 1.4!!!!
He is anti'American....'I WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH MEXICO IN SHAPING MY POLICIES"....(inauguration speech).
He is the PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION!
Save Los Angeles and the LAUSD...get rid of AV!!!
Okay, now. Remember what the doctor said about not taking your meds? First the blue pill, then the liiiitle pink pill. You can do it.
12:22
You're really an AV-lover aren't you! You're just baiting people with enough simple-minded errors and mistatements to make the anti-Antonios look bad and give his apologists something to hang their hacks on...
Please don't give us real AV-bashers such a bad name.
Read at least one newspaper article a day ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
Use the Daily News if LAT's are too long (but for gawds-sake, stay away from the Weekly).
In today's LA Times Romer is telling Laura thanks but no thanks. They will do their own independent audit. So what will Laura do? She states she's the city controller and how coincidential that now that Antonio is going after LAUSD she jumps into the fray. This should be a very interesting fight.
Can any of you tell us about what the LA City Quality and Productivity Commission does?
No matter what needs to be done with LAUSD, surely nobody can believe that a mayor, any mayor should have the ability to appoint school board members. That isn't democratic. I do agree with that. You all may like the idea until there is a mayor you don't like. Then you'll be bitching for months.
I, the retarded one (says someone on another thread), feel the same way about the school district as I do about the County Supervisors. It's too big and needs to be expanded. The mayor should have AN appointment. Maybe the mayors of the other cities who also belong to LAUSD should also have AN appointment.
Better yet, break the district up somehow. Nobody wants to do that because they aren't sure how to do it. If they were against the valley and the harbor seceding, how can they justify it being okay for the school system?
Stop those insane redistricting committees. What a political crock.
I am very pro union - except for in the schools. They have no business being there. Absolutely none. We are talking about shaping the lives of children and we have lazy teachers who wouldn't walk across the playground to unlock a gate for safe entry because "it's not their job". I've had it with the teachers union.
I love Laura Chick, but auditing LAUSD isn't within her scope of authority. I think we all know what their financial mess is.
We need real change and a mayoral takeover probably isn't the answer since it isn't in his scope of authority.
If LAUSD doesn't bring back mandatory art, PE and music, we will never be able to compete with other states. Other states all have those subjects.
They are down to teaching nothing but Math and Reading here. Mandatory Algebra? No wonder kids drop out. Everybody doesn't have a brain for Algebra. We need some car mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, etc. REAL JOBS.
Eliminate that stupid Choices and Magnet program. Kids should all go to school in their own neighborhoods. That will keep them in school and accountable to their neighbors who they see every day. Instead kids here live in one area of town, go to school in a different area and never know the kids on their own block. It's a sad state here.
And for those who blame it all on the LAUSD boardmembers, you lose your credibility with those of us who are in the schools every day.
I agree with the 3:26:
Segregation now. Segregation FOREVER!
Let the black and brown poor kids stay in their schools across town. Moreover, teach them to be good mechanics, plumbers and tradesmen. Not everyone is geared for higher education - and the stats show that the poor black and brown kids are the worst performing (because we're asking too much - like algebra).
I agree on his stance with the unions too. All these lazy-ass teachers getting the big bucks. And for what? Okay, maybe they spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets each year for materials for the children they teach. Does that mean they care about these kids?
Fine. They're pursuing a profession that won't pay enough for them to purchase a home in the cities where they teach. They should be doing it for free, but the fuc*ing unions want them to get paid for their work. They even want them to have benefits and retirement. The reality is that these are not things society cannot afford to give to teachers.
Hey 4:29
My whiter than white son failed Algebra and had to make it up in summer school. My kids are in two different schools and both of them are fully integrated schools. One is a neighborhood school and one is a magnet.
My whiter than white father is a plumber.
Don't bullshit me about this being about segregation. There are plenty of black and brown kids in our home school.
It's attitudes like yours that keep us mired in mediocrity.
Do you think there is a black or brown kid out there who would choose to go to an all white school somewhere if given the choice? The kids choice, not the parents?
I don't know what neighborhood you live in that is so segregated.
Regardless, that sounds like a housing issue and not a school issue.
You have no idea how many white kids would choose to go to a trade school rather than take Algebra nor do you know how many brown or black kids would choose an honors program over trade school.
But that's okay. Keep spewing your nonsense and nothing will change. The mayor will take over the schools (yeah right) and there will be fighting every election when the new mayor removes them and names his/her own appointees.
Nothing will ever happen.
Is Huizar as dumb as I think he is? Got an e-mail today saying he has hired the crook, snake Alvin Parra. Does anyone know what the hell Alvin will be doing in Jose's office besides being the sneaky, perverted loser he is?
LA Times....Alvin Parra said he was involved in distributing copies of unflattering newspaper stories about Nick Pacheco to Eastside residents....Pacheco was running against Huizar, who was supported by Villaraigosa. The
stories were from 2001 through 2003, and involved allegations of the misuse of city funds....The handouts, which were distributed by volunteers, neglected to mention that Pacheco was never found to have done anything wrong.
Nine days after Huizar trounced Pacheco in the council race, Parra's wife, Nellie Rios-Parra, a Lennox School District official, was appointed by Villaraigosa to the city Library Commission.
5:32 - You are full of SHIT! If you DON'T think LAUSD schools aren't segregated, you are living in a fantasy world. Go to South LA or East LA and count the number white kids in any given school . . . you'll only need one hand. And isn't it a coincidence that neighborhoods in LA tend to be broken out by race . . . or should I add by income . . . well, what's the difference?
Having a handful of black and brown kids at a white school AIN'T integration.
You take a look at the faces of those attending the University of California and tell me we don't have a two-tier educational system broken down by race.
What the hell are you proposing? Busing? Why do you have a need or a desire to have a specified amount of white kids at your school?
If all of the schools distributed the good teachers amongst all of the schools, it wouldn't matter what kids attended the school.
Why would you dispute the fact that a neighborhood school is best for the children who live in the neighborhood? Where they know the neighbor kids and the parents. Where they don't spend hours on the bus. Where they should by all rights, have the same computers and advantages of other schools.
I don't know why you feel the way you do.
6:57 pm...
Found out that Alvin Parra is Huizar's new Field Director. Should be interesting to see how that works...
NO. Field Director.
The girl in BH is Field Dir
For Jose's sake Alvin Parra better stay away from Boyle Heights and Eagle Rock. Guilt by association. How can Jose hire someone who got caught and admitted to sending out negative mailers when Jose had almost $1 mil to campaign? Alvin has the worst reputation citywide for being a crook and his wife Nellie said horrible things about Latinos while she was campaigning for school board. We all know this is an Antonio decision. Jose get some balls.
5:50 - Actually, Jose won the election without even a runoff. Remember, you're person lost.
Send 'em all back to Mexico where they belong!!!!
Mechista boy says it "going to be a "Battle royale" over governance and he is seeking support from all of his donors.
What it is really all about is a battle royale over one little beaner who wants to rule the world.
He said he 'feels like a kid in a candy store"....how profound! How -statesman=-like!
As soon as LA rids itself of this arrogant, know-nothing, radical, we can eliminate the problem and export all the illegals and their kids back to Mexico where they belong. And maybe AV will go with them.
He is the problem and not the solution.
Laura Chick....TRUTH TELLER"...MY ASS!!!!!
5:50 PM ----- What did she say about latinos----what bad things?
12/02, 4:29 PM:
We (the District AND THE PARENTS) don't give them the tools to pass algebra.
So don't let them graduate. That really helps.
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