** Mayor Sam Exclusive: Controversial Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School battles popular Hecho En Mexico Restaurant

Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School

 When objective observers and local media are seeking answers to questions about a controversial Charter School's failing test scores and financial structure, what mode of crisis management do they revert to in seeking to redirect attention?   

 First, mobilize the educational collective against a perceived enemy of your controversial Charter School, in this case a popular El Sereno Eatery Hecho En Mexico (make it the new version of former KABC Talk Radio combatant), who has a long track record of giving back to the community. Then feign acts of malfeasance on the part of the restaurant (ie. lewd conduct, loud parties, explicit advertising) and create mass protests to condemn the alleged behavior.

 Create talking points on the alleged bad behavior of the restaurant and call upon Councilman Jose Huizar to take action against the supposed repeat offender. Remember that it is "suggested" that all members of the collective take part in protests and boycotts of Hecho En Mexico. (** Plus Academia worked hard to ensure that Councilman Huizar won the El Sereno vote in last springs election).

 

Use school resources to craft this ABC complaint letter (** For the Record, Hecho has a great ABC compliance record) and have each of your educational collective student's parents fill out the appropriate areas as "suggested" by school staff (or required by the school's "Executive Director"). ** Remember that any hesitation to support the wishes of the school's Executive Director and Principal (wife) will meet with communal denouncement and increased chances of child "referrals". 

Journalistic "dust up" over Academia Coverage between the "Weekly of Record" and "The Old Gray Hag on Spring Street".

 LA Weekly's Hillel Aron (with recorder)

LA Times Howard Blume (right) being interview on KPFK Pacifica Radio.

Bravo to the "Weekly of Record" for its calling out of "The Old Gray Hag on Spring Street's" puff piece on the controversial Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School. It was easy to ascertain that Times Education Scribe Howard Blume was pre-disposed to cut the failing charter school some slack in his softball missive.   This after the "Weekly of Record" set the bar for Academia coverage with Aron's excellent piece.

Here are some of the highlights of "Aron y Blume on Academia".

The Times makes no mention of why these four elected politicians voted to ignore Superintendent John Deasy's recommendation to shutter the school.The paper doesn't challenge Garcia's view that schools that experiment with children should be allowed continue churning out students who cannot read or do their arithmetic, as compared to the identical socioeconomic kids elsewhere.The paper doesn't challenge Garcia's view that experimental failing schools deserve to continue on for more than a decade, affecting many children.Toward the end of the piece, Blume includes a "let's hear from the other side" paragraph.Yet Blume doesn't choose to quote from the many groups and people on the legitimate, thinking other side who are aghast at how far behind the Semillas children are falling -- and who have cogent arguments about why this is bad.

.....  and judging from Academia's Founder Marcos Aguilar latest action against Hecho En Mexico, there will be plenty of story content in the near future for the "Old Gray Hag on Spring Street" to change its reporting track record on the failing charter. (If Blume dares crosses the elites that controls Charter Schools in Los Angeles).

Your thoughts ...............
Scott Johnson in CD 14