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Friday, December 08, 2006

LAUSD Update: ZD Predicts Two of the Three "Mayoral Controlled" Schools

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST, THIS MAY NOT BE COVERED ELSEWHERE...

LAUSD/AB 1381 UPDATE: First of all AB 1381 is a bill passed by Senate last summer, that was supposed to neuter the LAUSD board (punishment for allegedly screwing up so bad) and put control of the country's second largest school system in the hands of the Mayor (Antonio Villagrossa). Although the position of L.A. Mayor has a term-limit of two terms (eight years), somehow, Richard Riordan is still able to be Mayor of Los Angeles, and along with his homie Eli Broad (like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre) really run the City and are the two guys responsible for making the Mayor have to give a sh*t about kids and schools with this "Frankenstein Bill" AB 1381 (as ZD's favorite LAUSD boardmember Julie Koresnstein calls it). I'd be like, "Don't drop that sh*t in my lap, I'm trying to run for re-election and everyone knows, the Mayor don't take the bad press over LAUSD, cause it's the school super/school board's political problem. (So there must be TONS of money to be made, for someone, to have the Mayor wanna take on LAUSD with AB 1381.)

But the Bill has been so badly compromised (so many people had to be cut-in to get it passed through), all it really did was give all the power and authority to the LAUSD superintendent (the recently appointed, and not Tony's homie, David Brewer).

So, the only actual LAUSD job Villagrossa is responsible for/stuck with, is taking charge of three "low performing" schools that he is gonna wave his magic wand around and show measurable results even though there is nothing in AB 1381 about actual student achievement or accountability. (So how do you measure success or failure, and by what standards?)

And I still can't move past the fact that the Mayor of Los Angeles is not supposed to have a part-time job as school superintendent of three high schools.

And although originally, the Mayor was supposed to pick three of the LOWEST performing schools in LAUSD to fix, and prove HE could run the schools better than the school board, while also being Mayor of Los Angeles, ZD has found out there is a difference between LOWEST performing and LOW performing. And due to some finagaling of AB 1381, the Mayor may also choose "Tier 2" (higher performing high schools than Tier 1) along with "Tier 1" (LOWEST performing).

So opponents will say, "The three lowest performing schools are the ones in most need, and you MUST pick the three lowest performers, otherwise it's all about politics." However, the people on the Mayor's side of the issue would say, "If we only use 'three lowest performers' as the only standard, then all three schools would be from the same area, and we couldn't see how it works in other areas of the City. For example, no schools from the Valley or Eastside would be eligible.

ZD BREAKDOWN: If the Mayor was forced to pick the three lowest performing schools in the City, that means, unfortunately, all three schools would be from the same approximate are, South Los Angeles. ZD has been told that one school WILL INDEED be from the Valley, and the other two can be from any other part of the City. But let's face it, the Mayor is gonna HAVE to pick ONE of the actual lowest performing schools in South L.A.. So that leaves one other school, that some say would HAVE to go to the Mayor's favorite part of town, East L.A.

However, ZD feels the third school may also be from South L.A. (But, can the Mayor withstand the political pressure to NOT represent one East L.A school of the three. We'll see how much the Eastsiders actually want any part of this.)

Those who are against letting the Mayor get off the hook with a "Tier 2" school say it is easier to boost up a "2" school, than a "1" school, because "2" are better off socially and economically, and therefore have less neighborhood influenced obstacles; like crime, homelessness and other negative "outside the classroom" factors.

However, again, there are not any "1" schools in the Valley only "2", so look for the Mayor to choose Monroe High School in the Valley, because it is the lowest performing of the "2" schools in the Valley. ZD says, "Take this one to Vegas, y'all...Monroe High...Now with more Tony!"

Mayoral takeover school, number two? Holding it down, way down, in South L.A. is Jordan, Locke and Freemont High Schools. These are the three schools the Mayor should target, because the areas lowest performing middle schools feed into these high schools, so they are sunk from day one, with each and every freshman class. And they are always three schools part of every reform effort, so. And since those failed, the Mayor will look like David Copperfield if he pulls off even a budge of the meter. ZD says it WON'T be Jordan, because that's near three housing projects, so the odds are stacked against you from the start, I'm told. ZD says: LOCKE High School will be blessed with the efforts of Eli Broad and company, because it's already improved the most of the three.

Third school? Probably Freemont because there will be pressure to take two from the lowest performing areas, however, I gotta believe there will be pressure to have Mayor Tony "represent" some LAUSD magic (or tragic) on his native-Eastside.

So remember, that's AB 1381: Brought to you by Eli Broad and Richard Riordan (The Children's Television Workshop), working in cahoots with their muppet master, Mayor Antonio Villagrossa (Jim Henson) and his cast of "Muppets" (Monica Garcia and all the other LAUSD boardmember candidates that the Mayor is working in cahoots with Eli Broad to back with political support, and more importantly, financial support.)

So I guess either Eli has candidates he wants Tony to push; or maybe Tony runs to Uncle Eli and asks him to finance the campaign of one of his cast of Muppets to run on the LAUSD school board.

That's O.K. If I was mayor, I'd wanna infliltrate the LAUSD school board with my own homies to keep it all smooved over with no rocking of the boat, while you're trying to get control of that little old $20 Billion Dollar construction budget you wanna funnel to your short list of preferred contractors who will in turn donate to your re-election campaign.

Now go help the kids.

www.ZumaDogg.com (all video, podcasts, blog archives, appearance dates and contact info)

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Aguilar is NOT a muppet. She may be a home girl from HP,but she's not anyones puppet. She runs her own program. Infact, I hear she told the Mayor if a puppet was what he was lookin for then to keep steppin. Her work and dedication to kid's over the years is highly respected. As well as her high integrity. I hear the Mayor respects that and has heard her loud and clear. Fat spineless Monica Garcia can't even be mentioned in the same breath as Ms.Aguilar.

December 08, 2006 3:59 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

3:59 You F'n moron

December 08, 2006 4:20 PM  

Blogger Zuma Dogg said:

I CUT THIS FROM THE THREAD, CAUSE IT WAS A LONG POST, BUT I WANTED TO SNEAK IT IN HERE FOR THE RECORD:

There's nothing I hate more than spending time covering LAUSD. Because it's about school; and little ZD hated school, so every time I have to type about LAUSD it feels like the homework that prevented me from listening to KISS ALIVE 2, until I was finished.

However, the reason ZD is so passionate about this whole AB 1381/LAUSD thing, is because we already have one "f*cked up" generation of constituents in this City that will be dragging it down for the next several decades. So, if we don't attack the problem of the current generation of kids, being lost to the dark side of the streets, we'll be paying even more of a price (socially and economically). And the first line of defense toward improving the future of our society starts each and every morning at LAUSD (for as long as it lasts, and for about 50%, it ain't lasting long enough). So that's why I cover LAUSD/AB 1381 and am very pleased with the insightful information provided to me by very inside people from throughout the City on both sides of the issue.

December 08, 2006 4:26 PM  

Blogger Zuma Dogg said:

P.S.: Someone wanted me to tell you the City Clerk's Office (Election Division) was bombarded with fourteen nominating petitions for LAUSD school board elections. That means they are hard at work verifying the 500 signatures of each candidate, times 14, for a total of around 7000 signatures. Plus, City Council and other petition signatures to check. But ZD has a feeling he will be posting the list of LAUSD board candidates on Monday as the final signatures are checked this weekend. And we'll see how many candidates are being funded by Uncle Eli and Current Mayor of Los Angeles, Richard Riordan.

December 08, 2006 4:28 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

4:20pm Your'e a F'n moron. Go blow your daddy!

December 08, 2006 4:48 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

To 3:59pm It's not Yolie I'm skeptical about. I know she is a person of the up most integrity. However, AV is not. While he may hear her "loud and clear" taday, if she wins with his help, he will try to munipulate her. Being a person of high morals she may just quit. Though she is very smart and may be able to out fox him. Time will tell.

December 08, 2006 4:53 PM  

Anonymous Anonymous said:

Monica garcia = Ms. Piggy

December 11, 2006 12:50 PM  

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