Mayor Villariagosa’s “Community Conversation” on schools

By Jennifer Solis

Mayor Antonio Villariagosa kicked off his Community Conversation on Public Education Thursday evening in the board room of the Chamber of Commerce, featuring a question and answer session with about 200 parent leaders of the LAUSD, mostly hostile to his proposed takeover of L.A. schools.

Even those who were not enthusiastic about Villarigosa’a plan to turn control of local education over to a Council of Mayors, were impressed with his seamless responses to a variety of questions and criticisms, ranging from how to solve the growing Black-Latino hostility on campuses, to ways to improve parental participation in our schools.

Before the mayor arrived, his aides had to wrestle with whether the meeting was to be held in English or Spanish. A show of hands clearly was in preference of the latter, but Pilar Buelna declared she was going to make an “executive decision” and conduct in English, with Spanish translation in headsets available to anyone who needed them.

There was a short “power point” presentation which reviewed how bad Los Angeles schools were doing, especially on the problem of kids dropping out. One graph showed that out of 69,000 incoming high school 9th graders, the number reduced to 50,000 in 10th grade, 40,000 in 11th grade, and 29,000 seniors. Of those, quoting LAUSD figures, only 85-percent could pass the California High School Exit Exam, required for graduation this month, for the first time.

Afterwards, the parents were divided into four groups to brainstorm suggestions which they would present to the entire meeting, and ultimately to the mayor. Among the list of suggestions was that “the mayor should not get involved in running the district.” This coincided with a unanimous vote May 3rd of the Los Angeles Parent Collaborative, many of whom were present this evening.

The mayor trotted out all the pet phrases he has used to promote his plan, such as “aggressive, sustained changes from top down and bottom up,” “our number one goal is to graduate everyone,” and “Let’s allow teachers to run their classrooms, and give them the funds to succeed.”

The most receptive plank in Villaraigosa’s “Summary of Guiding Principles for LAUSD Reform” was supporting local control of schools. “If schools are to be accountable for results, they must have genuine responsibility for significant decisions. Principals, teachers and parents must be able to shape their schools to fit the unique needs of their children.”

Other promises from the list of 13 “Guiding Principles” were criticized as being nothing more than the same old pledges made by every candidate who ever ran for a seat on the Los Angeles Unified School District. Many of the questioners were skeptical about how Villaraigosa could succeed in these goals, when all others before him have failed to deliver.

These pledges include accountability at every level, streamlining the school bureaucracy, respecting and rewarding teachers, empowering principals, engaging the support of parents, improving instruction, increasing involvement of the local community and increasing educational funding.

Three of the mayor’s pledges: creating small learning communities, more after school programs, and expanding charter schools, are already high on the current school board’s priorities and accomplishments.

Villaraigosa promised to solve the problem of having to educate an estimated 10,000 homeless children in Los Angeles. One of the questioners pointed out that providing meals and social services to these kids was critical to any possibility of educating them, and that currently this wasn’t happening. The mayor promised to spend $50-million for homeless housing.

With the LAUSD bureaucracy, the teachers’ union, and a large number of grass roots parent leaders all fighting his proposal to take over control of the nation’s second largest school district, the mayor was asked what he will do if his plan is unsuccessful. He responded, “I won’t quit!”