Lauritzen Must Go
Long story short -- I'm pre-coffee here, people -- I just heard Doug McIntyre interview LAUSD Board Member Jon Lauritzen.Say you're in a boat, and it's filling up with water, fast. Lauritzen would tell you it's not a hole, it's a swimming pool.
To hear him tell it, the LAUSD is just peachy. LAUSD schools win academic decathalons, one teacher is getting a "Math / Science Teacher of the Year" award in Washington, D.C., and many parents are pulling their kids out of private schools to put them into the LAUSD. There is, in short, nothing wrong at our public schools.
In the 1960's, there was a bumper sticker -- bumper stickers were much more popular back then -- that said, "Reality is for people who can't face drugs." It comes to mind, for some reason.
This guy just does not get it. He's got to go. I don't care if Villaraigosa himself replaces him. Anyone would be better. You can't fix a problem if you don't even see the problem.
Posted by Walter Moore @ 5/08/2007 06:23:00 AM
30 Comments:
First sane post from anyone on this blog in 3 weeks.
Happy, cheerful, and a loser on May 15.
Wacko - more rumors for you:
Lauritzen does not want to win. He is terminally ill.
Duffy will be out. Tokofsky will be offered the UTLA presidency.
Pugliese made a deal to get the seat when Tamar takes Greuel's seat in 09 (after Greuel gets elected controller).
Tamar has made remarks that she does not intend to be Antonio's "puppet" and is planning to seek the Board presidency position.
A connection between the Mayor and Kleiner's son?
I hear you Walter, but I still don't trust Villaraigosa and seriously doubt he can or will improve LAUSD.
Also, as a long time loyal listener and big fan of Doug McIntyre, I was disappointed with his brief interview of Giuliani this morning. I know time was short, but I wished Doug asked Rudy about his support of sanctuary city policies and open borders, rather than the Bush Iraq quagmire. Hopefully next time!
"Tamar Galatzan is a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney with the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program, assigned to the Van Nuys LAPD Division. The innovative program focuses on reducing crime by identifying, prioritizing, and addressing criminal problems proactively. She has spent the past four years working on some of the city’s most challenging issues: abating nuisance activity around schools, homelessness, gang activity, street racing, and illegal vending."
In 2006, after four years as a neighborhood prosecutor in the Valley, Serious Crimes by Gang Members increased by 43% over the previous year...
After five years (ending 2005), LAUSD Elementary Scores increased by 197 points – Middle School scores increased 130 points and High Schools increased by 104 points...2006 API scores schoolwide are +9...
You do the math....
Zuma Dog get your bat computer working on what deal Pugliesa made with the Mayor's people for Tamar's endorsement.
MAYBE they offered him the seat in two years but MAYBE he was offered Duffy's job?
Also find out who is writing the check for Michael Trujillo's big bonus (six figures?) for running Tamar's campaign.
8:47am,
Your tripping all over your spin.
Tamar can make those remarks that "she does not intend to be Tony's 'puppet'". Only one problem...how is she going to be placed into Greuel's CM chair, come that time, if she doesn't roll over and play lapdog to the mayor???
Politicians say anything to get elected. Of course that's what you are going to say when everyone accusses you of being a mayor puppet (and that hurts you, cause the mayor is political toast in that area.)
But how can you say, "not a mayor puppet" in one breath -- and "when tamar takes wicked wendy "frontier" greuel's chair?
Is this how the conversation will go:
Tamar: Thanks for spending 2 million dollars to buy me into office, Antonio. Now go fuck yourself...I'm not your puppet and I'm gonna do what I want to do, even if it's against your shady takeover.
Antonio: Thanks, Tamar. That's fine. I completely understand. After all, this is a democratic society. I'll call you when it's time to run you for Wendy's seat. And don't worry, I promise there won't be any political reprecussions on your or Brendan.
11:59am,
First of all, why should I work on your behalf, for free, when you only spell Dogg with one "g".
Secondly, the Bat Computer doesn't work that way. I am not a surveilance device. If money was transacted, or there is a paper trail, I can bust yo ass...but for more information on the deal you are talking about, you have to talk to "Fly on the Wall."
That is a separate inquiry, and Fly on the Wall is way more expensive, cause it involves human power, not just binary codes and electricity.
>>After five years (ending 2005), LAUSD Elementary Scores increased by 197 points – Middle School scores increased 130 points and High Schools increased by 104 points...2006 API scores schoolwide are +9...
What schools, what points? Citations are in order here.
An April 24 2006 Daily News Op-Ed piece by Julie Korenstein claimed that in the last five years, LAUSD elementary school scores have increased 197 points – middle school scores increased 130 points and the high schools increased by 104 points. She concluded by stating that all have exceeded the percentage increase in statewide averages.
For the current API scores, go to the LAUSD website.
Forgot to mention that of the 708,000 students in LAUSD, about 43% are classified as English Learners...
Okay sure there is a deal. What else is new? If you're pissed, call Spiderman.
Around a year and a half ago, Jon Lauritzen was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. While there is no such thing as remission for this kind of cancer, it is not growing and right now it is not considered terminal.
So, Jon doesn't come across well over the radio or TV. Big shock. Jon has never come across well in those mediums, because he's not a politician. He's a teacher who ran for school board to do good works.
How has he done? Let the facts show the truth. Every school in Board District #3 has shown gains in their test scores. Over 100 new schools opened mostly on time and on budget. Health care for teachers, the single most important issue to teachers, unchanged thus keeping thousands of high quality teachers in LAUSD not working for Conejo or Las Virgines.
Not bad for a guy who doesn't understand the problems. Admiral Brewer speaks of having a world class educational system. His first order of business is to keep the highly qualified teachers and recruit more. Through Jon Lauritzen's votes and actions that is happening.
Galatzan proposes a reduction in class size. Don't we all. To accomplish this she proposes placing two teachers in a classroom. For those who don't know education,(Galatzan), that would mean 50 students in a classroom could be defined in a political way as 25 to 1. To the 52 people in the classroom it would be defined as a complete waste of time as no real learning would take place.
Is Jon Lauritzen perfect. Who among us is, sorry dogg. But to think he doesn't understand the problems based upon a hostile media, or one radio interview is to ignore the past four years.
When Jon was elected, the same people who are bringing us Galatzan brought us Caprice Young and a $300 million tab for a school that will never open.
Developers, real estate people, Riordan and Broad, all looking to prosper on the public trough.
Right now, LAUSD is sitting on billions of construction money and those people Brendan Huffman works for want theirs.
I'm shocked that Pugliese endorsed Galatzan. There must be some quid pro quo there. As far as Galatzan not being a muppet, well, I'm looking for some flying pigs.
The print media has yet to detail donors to the Partnership for kids, and the Partnership won't release financials until well after the election is over.
I do fear, that come May 16th, the good citizens of Los Angeles will have been hoodwinked by Eli Broad and the Photo-op one more time.
About the only good thing here is Galatzan probably won't be around long enough to really screw it up.
>>Let the facts show the truth. Every school in Board District #3 has shown gains in their test scores.
Lets face the real facts:
Birmingham HS has lost an average of 47.25% of its students over the last 13 years. 489 students per graduating class.
Granada Hills HS has lost an average of 32.16% of its students over the last 13 years. 343 students per graduating class.
El Camino HS has lost an average of 33.6% of its students over the last 13 years. 338 students per graduating class.
Grover Cleveland HS has lost an average of 38.83% of its students over the last 13 years. 320 students per graduating class.
Those improvements your claiming to see appear to come at the expense of dropouts.
Nobody on this school board can make the claim that they are improving our schools. Nobody.
ref: http://westchesterparents.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/where_have_all_the_seniors_gone.pdf
Walter should make up his mind.
either you're for the current mayor or not. supporting galatzen is a vote for AV.
that's why you'll lose, a smart politician would sacrifice his personal belief always (albeit temporarily)before supporting his opponent like you just did.
didn't you explain to us in depth how the school board will drop the lawsuit when they're elected? so youre in favor of this unconstitutional takeover AB 1381?
deport all the federal conspiracists I say. not the people exercizing their constitutional rights to assemble.
no matter the state of the schools, or the board, the takeover is illegal, and has been ruled as such. Nothing else matters. or doesn't your legal ego allow you to understand that?
On 6/20/06 USA Today reported, "Among the nation's 50 largest districts... three graduate fewer than 40%: Detroit (21.7%), Baltimore (38.5%) and New York City (38.9%)."
Difficult to speak to 13 years worth of stats when the same LAUSD Board has not been in place for that same amount of time.
However, per the USA Today article, here are the grad rates from the EPE Research Center of the five largest school districts in the country:
1) New York at 38.9% graduating
2) Los Angeles at 44.2%
3) Chicago at 52.2%
4) Miami-Dade at 45.3%
5) Broward County, Fla at 48.7%
Is bigger better? These five districts were in the bottom 17 of the 50 largest....
Oh great...so tamar galtzan will be on the school board voting to give money to her toxic landfill loving VICA husband, Brendan Huffman?
The kids are lucky as hell!
Note the report today that states on the National scale that all American schools went from an average of 76% to 63% graduating when seniors had to pass the national standards test.
Nobody anywhere has the silver bullet to teach kids except for more parental involvement, lower class size, safe schools and better teacher training/mentoring .
Anyone like the Mayor or Tamar who critiques without knowledge or experience is just blowing smoke out their a--.
>>7:54 PM
USA Today is WRONG.
I would be happy to debate them or you on the graduation rates.
The districts high school 13 year enrollment losses are 49% alone. In 2006 the enrollment losses were 56.23%
THERE IS NO WAY you can have a graduation rate anywhere near the rates that USA Today published.
The reason for the discrepancy is that the state of California is not complying with the compact that it signed with 49 other states agreeing to a common formula.
The LAUSD calculates its graduation rate using norm day senior enrollments instead of norm day freshman enrollments.
I have no idea who EPE Research is but they are using a flawed analysis.
Debate this:
2006 Enrollment Loss at 56.23%
2006 Grad Rate at 44%
...and somehow this doesn't add up to 100% for you?
>> You Do The Math said...
Debate this: 2006 Enrollment Loss at 56.23%, 2006 Grad Rate at 44%,
...and somehow this doesn't add up to 100% for you?
It doesn't. Not all of the 44% graduated. There are still subsequent dropouts between norm day and June, GED's are not considered graduates and not all passed CAHSE
>> you do the math said
Sorry about sounding overly harsh. We're both on the same page. If this district were a business it would have been shut down long ago. It serves no one. Even the teachers are unhappy with their district and union.
Thanks, we are on the same page when it comes to wanting the best public education for all children in LAUSD. I have kids in the system too.
But taking a bureaucrat from a failed Neighborhood Prosecutor program and putting her into a position of overseeing an $11 Billion public trust doesn't seem like an intelligent first step.
A school board should be elected to represent the public interest, not the interests of a single politician.
Hey "you do the math"
On May 15th when the public in two sections of the LAUSD speak -- and their interests are aligned with one politician's (I assume you meant the Mayor) will you shut the hell up?
Because with such low turnout -- the most aware voters will show up at the polls, and since they are the most aware, they will know who the Mayor is supporting. And they will also know what his agenda his -- so when they (the public) speaks you can stew in your own hate juices and blog even more.
:)
"Shut the hell up" and "hate juices"...
And so ends the adult portion of our conversation!
It appears as if Mr. Lauritzen's days of carrying all that water for the union will finally be over after the election. Thank you, Jesus ! It makes you wonder why they ever gave him so much money. Any sane LAUSD parent knows that charter schools are the only bright spot in a sea of bureaucracy and Jon never saw a charter school he liked. Good riddance !
And my greatest victory will be at hand!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home