On my last day with LA School Report I’d like to take a minute (or ten) to do some navel gazing — reflect on the things I’ve learned as an education reporter covering this behemoth school district, a job for the most part I have truly enjoyed.

First, the things I won’t be missing about the daily beat: Without a doubt, I will not miss the stuffy, windowless press room at LA Unified headquarters, a room outfitted with a television set made sometime in 1982 and only two electrical outlets. The fact that reporters celebrated when a district consultant (shout out to Sean Rossall) brought in a power strip gives you an idea of how bleak it is in there. Not to mention cockroaches so brazen that they actually crawled up a reporter’s leg. Not this one, thank goodness, although rumor has it a colleague has video of me screaming like a little girl as I squashed one under my shoe.

The endless board meetings that go deep, deep into the night will be also be easy to skip. Sometimes they went on because board members took turns pontificating on the fundamental human right of a good education. A worthwhile exercise, to be sure, but not always appropriate considering the day’s agenda. Other times the board was simply confused over process — is this a vote for the resolution or the amendment to the resolution? And if so, does it change the timing of the original resolution or can we come back to vote on the modified resolution next month? Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Meanwhile, I’d curse myself for not packing a Cliff bar. “Why don’t I just buy a box and put it in the trunk of my car?” I asked myself time and time again. I never remembered.

Finally, the rigmarole involved in getting access to the 24th floor of LA Unified headquarters. Are you on the list? Does so-and-so know you’re coming? What time is your appointment? Are you sure it’s today? What’s your credit score? Perhaps, I’m showing my own hand here, and maybe other reporters had an easier time of it, but I wish it wasn’t complicated to pop-in for quick conversations to catch up on ongoing stories or simply avoid a six-email-exchange on what turned out to be pretty straight forward set of questions.

Still, I will miss it.

Because I’m a softy, I’ll miss the small, simple stories most, which I have to admit, I wish I’d written more often. The types of stories that are about one teacher, one classroom, or one program that is changing the life of students.

I went to public school. Not in LAUSD, but here in LA — Montebello Unified— where the demographics mirror those of the district. Mostly poor, mostly Latino, mostly behind the eight ball. And I remember loving school and all of my teachers, with the exception of Ms. Rita. You know what you did. 

I didn’t know then what I know now: that virtually every student in the schools I attended would today qualify for concentrated and supplemental funds. We were all a combination of low-income, foster youth, English learners or special education students. In other words, we were the very “neediest students” I now write about.

Even through middle school I didn’t know that going to school year-round and going to class in a trailer meant the district was over-crowded and too poor to build new facilities. Or that kids in other districts used actual books not just copied packets of Junior Great Books short stories. (Remember the one about the gun that didn’t make a sound? Spooooooky!)

I was blissfully unaware, and that was probably due to the efforts and dedication of my teachers. School was just school, and I joined math club, the history club, played the violin, acted in school plays, stayed after-school for special GATE programs, and became a cheerleader followed by school president. Each one of those activities was organized and run by an adult who chose to devote extra hours to our growth as future adults.

Students today deserve that, and their success, however small, should be recognized.

While covering the minutia of politics behind the policies is its own sport, it’s only in the classroom that they are put to the test. Are iPads the answer to improving learning? Let’s see what happens when a group of fifth graders is asked to use them. Obvious, I know.

In covering this beat I’ve observed as one education dogma is swapped out for another, a newer (sometimes older) set of tenets now in vogue. It seems to happen every handful of years and each time, those in charge are convinced this is the right solution. Meantime, problematic schools remain problematic, and students are the victims of the revolving policy door. 

For evidence look no further than Jefferson High, Crenshaw High, or any of the Reed schools, most of which have been reconstituted, broken up into smaller schools, reunified as a single campus or re-structured into magnet schools. Lots of change has resulted in little academic improvement.

IMHO, the biggest challenge facing the district is due diligence and follow-through, a dedication to stick with an issue and stay on top of it. A collective amnesia seems to take over. Time and again, the district adopts a new plan to solve a problem, board members call it a priority, a rally is held, and the toasting begins. Then it’s filed away until there’s a flare up or a new scandal arises. 

It’s what happened with MISIS, which is about $70 million over budget. Shortly after the first meltdown exposing MISIS as an utter failure, former school board member Tamar Galatzan, complained, “We were never told about this!” Why not? At some point the board approved the initial $29 million expenditure. Didn’t anyone wonder how the money was being spent?

It’s what has happened with the A through G, a policy adopted 10 years ago. Every couple of years since 2005 a new analysis revealed that middle school students were entering high school under-prepared, schools were not offering the right courses, and many didn’t have the resources to do so. Yet, it appears to have come as a big surprise this year that only 37 percent of the class of 2017 is on track to graduate meeting the “C” standard. Eventually, the board was forced to drop it. 

Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy is another recent example. It is a school embroiled in a legal battle for years because of the teacher and administrator turnover rate, yet vital teaching positions remained unfilled for more than a year. Seriously, no science teacher at a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math school? Somebody pick up the phone.

But I digress and I don’t want to go out as Debbie Downer on a negative note. I’ve enjoyed exploring the district, problems and all, and getting to know teachers, parents and students, even some of the board members. Most of you were nice to me — you know who you are — and I’ll miss you. I hope you miss me.

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines gets emotional at the July 1 school board meeting.

With a recently balanced $7.8 billion budget in place, two new board members sworn in and Steve Zimmer elected as the new president, the LA Unified board is turning to the hiring of a superintendent to follow Ramon Cortines as, perhaps, its highest priority.

The pronouncement to start the search was among the first orders of business for Zimmer as he won a unanimous vote yesterday to succeed Richard Vladovic. But it opened the door to a host of questions about how he and the board plan to move forward.

Will the district go the traditional route and hire a headhunting firm? Will it be another behind closed doors decision, like drafting Cortines out of retirement after John Deasy stepped down, a deal that was made with zero public discussion?

Or the board look outside to find another big city superintendent, like Richard A. Carranza of San Francisco Unified? Or will it be an internal hire, elevating a senior district official, such as Ruth Perez, Superintendent of Instruction and Curriculum; Michelle King, Chief Deputy Superintendent, or Thelma Melendez, who was recently promoted as Chief Executive Officer of Educational Services by Cortines?

And for all the talk of transparency and community engagement, much of it by Zimmer and his new vice president, George McKenna, it is still unclear how the public is expected to participate. Nearly all the board members emphasized their desire to consider the views of parents, teachers and students, but they left those and other details of the search process to a future meeting.

Only two things are clear at this point: The first is that this board looooooves Cortines and members would most prefer a Cortines 2.0. During a round robin of compliments at yesterday’s meeting to pick a president, McKenna suggested cloning him.

“Ray Cortines pulled us together in our darkest times,” McKenna said. “We owe him a lot.”

Zimmer said so many nice things about Cortines and the work he’s done over the past nine months, that it moved Cortines to tears.

Vladovic, whose two years as board ended yesterday, told a story about getting a call from Cortines at 6 a.m. to help solve a problem.

“He pushes us hard, and that’s good,” Vladovic said. “That’s the kind of leader we need.”

The second point of certainty is that Cortines will have a hand in selecting his successor.

“We have the opportunity to call upon his expertise,” Zimmer told LA School Report. “I’m going to make sure he’s in the room to get his guidance and counsel,” he added.

The timing of all this, too, remained unclear yesterday. It appeared, however, that the speed of hiring a new superintendent — more than the calendar —  is likely to have a greater bearing on how long Cortines remains on the job. While Cortines signed a contract extension to keep him in place through June 30, 2016, he has the right to leave whenever he wants.

In public statements, he has so far suggested he might remain in place only until December. Before yesterday’s meeting, he was asked by LA School Report to be more specific about how long he intended to stay in the job.

“Oh, probably just two more weeks,” he said, joking.

No really, how long?

He pointed to the horseshoe of seats where he and the board sits during meetings.

“Look, as long as you see me up there, I will be here,” he said. “They need to find someone.”

* Mike Szymanski contributed reporting to this story.

]]> https://www.laschoolreport.com/zimmer-wins-unanimous-approval-to-serve-as-lausd-board-leader/ Wed, 01 Jul 2015 23:28:54 +0000 http://laschoolreport.com/?p=35454

The LAUSD school board gives Superintendent Ramon Cortines a standing ovation.

One week after it appeared Richard Vladovic was destined to serve as president of the LA Unified board for a third consecutive term, the members unanimously today elected Steve Zimmer as its new leader, giving the district its most teacher union friendly president in more than a decade.

Zimmer, who began his career with the district as a teacher, has been serving as board vice president for the last two years. Even so, the ease with which he ascended to the throne was a bit surprising.

Just last week, board members Mónica Ratliff and Mónica García had suggested they might seek to waive newly-adopted term limits for the presidency to re-elect Vladovic for a third term, but neither followed through.

However, just before the members were about to entertain nominations for president, Ratliff pressed Zimmer to identify his own successor as vice president. Zimmer said he would appoint George McKenna, who had been sworn in earlier in the day for a new term, along with newly-elected Scott Schmerelson and Ref Rodgriguez and the reelected Vladovic.

McKenna gladly accepted the nomination after Zimmer was elected.

While all seven members were united in their votes for Zimmer, Ratliff was the only one to qualify hers as each member made a choice orally. “I would like nothing more than to vote for a ticket with McKenna on it,” she chirped before voting yes.

Not exactly a resounding vote of confidence for Zimmer.

Still, Zimmer’s joy could not be stifled, and he wept in thanking Vladovic for being “my friend, my mentor, my colleague.” Then Zimmer presented Vladovic with a plaque.

“I’m going to make mistakes and letting people down and disappointing people is the hardest thing about this job and we all experience it in a very public way,” he said.  That is why, he said, “I want to ask you for your openness, honesty, input, partnership.”

In recent weeks Zimmer has repeatedly spoken about the new president’s role in selecting a new superintendent for the country’s largest school district run by a board and he wasted no time today. He said the process will be undertaken in full collaboration with Superintendent Ramon Cortines, 82, who signed a year-long extension several months ago but then surprised the board last week saying he might leave by December.

“Now that the business of the budget, the elections, and today are behind us, we can move on to the next big question facing LAUSD today, who are we going to choose to lead,” Zimmer said. “Given the opportunity to have one person in the county to help guide our search, I would choose Cortines,” he added.

After Zimmer’s comments, the board gave Cortines a standing ovation.

Despite Cortines’s six-month warning — no formal notice has been delivered to the board regarding a resignation date —  Zimmer says he doesn’t expect Cortines to leave before a new superintendent is hired.

But the clock is ticking, and today the board could not agree on a meeting date for the month August. The next meeting is scheduled for September 1, which means that the district can’t issue a Request for Proposals (or any kind of help-wanted ad) until September 2, at the earliest.

“I don’t know how it will work out but we will work it out,” Zimmer said. “There might be some timeline consolidation but it will get done.”

Besides a personal triumph, Zimmer’s ascension symbolized a triumph for the teachers union, UTLA, which has been among his strongest strong supporters since he first won election to the board in 2009. He follows Vladovic, who came to the board as a reformer with help from former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, before drifting to the center as board president.

Prior to Vladovic, Garcia, a staunch reformer, served as president for six years. Before she could serve a seventh, the board passed the term limit rule.

LAUSD school board member Monica Ratliff is sworn into office by her mother in 2013

Get ready for some pomp, circumstance — and politics.

The first half of tomorrow’s LA Unified school board meeting, starting at 10 am, will be a swearing in ceremony for four newly elected board members by people or, in some cases, groups of people, of their choice.

Scott Schmerelson, Ref Rodriguez, George McKenna and Richard Vladovic — will be taking an oath, each committing the next five years to the district.

Voters recently approved a measure to align school board elections with other statewide races in order to boost voter turn out. That means the four board members will sit on the board until 2020.

2020!

The ceremony and brief reception afterward are taking place at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center Gymnasium, just a few blocks from LA Unified headquarters.

Following the festivities, the full board will convene at 1 pm for the first meeting of the new fiscal year to elect a new president, a process that in recent years has not provoked much public debate but this year may prove to be different. A lot different.

Board members Mónica García and Mónica Ratliff expressed an interest last week in waiving a term limits rule to enable Vladovic, president since 2013, to lead the board a third consecutive year. The current board rule allows a president to serve only two consecutive years.

While neither Monica has moved to add it to tomorrow’s agenda, Jefferson Crain, board secretariat, says it can be brought up as part of the election. 

“A waiver does not have to be separately on the agenda since it is germane to the election,” he told LA School Report.

Like other board issues, a resolution to waive the rules and elect a president requires four votes. It’s conceivable that the board would split 3-3 on suspending the rule, leaving Vladovic’s vote as the deciding factor in whether he would serve another term. While he voted for the rule when it was first passed in 2013 and he abstained last week on a motion by Ratliff to waive the rule, he could still vote to suspend the rule, essentially putting himself back in office.

If an effort to suspend the rule fails, any of the other six could be elected although Steve Zimmer, the current vice president, would appear the front runner.

Neither Ratliff nor García returned messages seeking comment.

Another order of business for the new board is the appointment of board vice present, as well as members to serve in a variety of roles, including positions on the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, California School Boards Association and the Council of Great City Schools.

Scott Schmerelson

* UPDATED

Ref Rodriguez is in the market for new friends. Specifically, friends on the LA Unified school board, which he’ll officially join tomorrow for a five-year term ending in 2020.

“I know I need to build some relationships with certain communities that may not trust me because of the campaign,” he told LA School Report.

He and the other 2015 board election winners — Scott Schmerelson, George McKenna and Richard Vladovic — will be sworn in at a special ceremony tomorrow, prior to a board meeting to select a board president.

Rodriguez, who trounced Bennett Kayser in the District 5 race, has been accused of being behind one of the nastiest campaigns for a school board seat in LAUSD history. Neighborhoods across the city, from Highland Park down to South Gate, were papered with fliers accusing Kayser of racism and opposing good schools for Latino children. Others intentionally misrepresented Kayser’s voting record on the district’s iPad deal.

And while Rodriguez has always insisted that his team had no involvement with negative ads paid for by the California Charter Schools Association, he now concedes that it’s weighing heavily on his mind as he thinks about the year ahead.

“There is a lot of repair that I have to do and I plan to do that in my first year,” he said, adding that some of that work has already started. Rodriguez had lunch with Steve Zimmer last week, a small gesture that represents a willingness of both men to move past the election and things said over those heated months.

Zimmer “damned” the Rodriguez campaign for its politicking at a Kayser rally then went on to say here that, “If there ever was a relationship there with Rodriguez, it has been seriously damaged.”

Rodriguez said another of his priorities is taking an active role in finding a replacement for Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who unexpectedly announced he plans on leaving the temporary post in six months.

Rodriguez is critical of the district’s track record in selecting a new leader.

“It hasn’t been inclusive,” he said. This time around, he says it’s imperative “to ensure that the public feels like they’re a part of the process. And not just at the end, when we’re down to the final three candidates.” Stakeholders should be weighing in along the way, he said.

Finally, there is the middle school cause, which he shares with Schmerelson, who beat out Tamar Galatzan in District 3. 

Both Rodriguez and Schmerelson say they hope to launch programs to reach struggling students in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

“That’s where you can reach them and do the most good to make sure they don’t become [high school] drop outs,” Schmerelson, a former teacher, counselor and principal told LA School Report.

For Schmerelson some of that help should take the shape of after school programs, extra tutoring time and tough love.

“We need to end social promotion,” he said, getting riled up. Schmerelson explains that it is not totally unusual for a child to be held back in the elementary school for years but teachers and counselors are “strongly discouraged” from recommending that a student should repeat a grade in middle school.

“Many kids are not ready for high school and we are just fooling them, setting them up for failure when they get there,” he said.

It is one of the reasons that graduation rate projections are so low for the more rigorous A to G standards, according to Schmerelson. “Kids don’t understand that once you get to high school you don’t get moved up from class to class because your friends are moving on. You have to earn the credits.”

Schmerelson’s other “lofty goal” is changing federal regulations around school meals, which he says are set up to produce vast amounts of waste.

Elementary school students in the cafeteria line have two choices: take everything on the menu or nothing at all. There is no picking and choosing which means if a second grade girl is only interested in the Salisbury steak and wants to skip the mac ’n’ cheese, she has to get a full plate and throw away what she leaves untouched.

“That makes absolutely no sense but because of federal funding those are the rules and everyone has to follow them,” said an exasperated Schmerelson, who as a principal stood by and watched as tons of healthy and edible food was tossed into the garbage. Young children should have the same privileges as secondary school kids who can “grab and go,” he said.

Unlike Rodriguez, Schmerelson says he won’t need to work to get people on his side.

“I am the easiest person to get along with you’ve ever seen in your whole life,” he said, attributing his easy-goingness to his years of experience as a school principal.

“Sometimes parents are a little difficult and sometimes teachers are a little difficult so sometimes, you just have to listen, keep you mouth shut and be respectful,” he said. “That’s my MO.”

* Clarifies that Rodriguez’s campaign had nothing to do with campaign ads paid for by the California Charter Schools Association. An earlier version left that ambiguous.

]]> https://www.laschoolreport.com/la-unified-board-contemplating-rule-changes-on-vote-for-president/ Fri, 26 Jun 2015 00:03:38 +0000 http://laschoolreport.com/?p=35328
If Ref Rodriguez and Scott Schemerelson had any hope of a slow and easy introduction to LA Unified board politics, they’re in for a jolt. Shortly after they’re sworn in as the board’s newest members next week, they might be asked to cast votes on a rule that determines who can or can’t be board president.

As it stands now, a resolution spearheaded by Mónica Ratliff earlier this week to eliminate term-limits for the presidency failed. But immediately following the vote she and Mónica García suggested they might seek to waive the board rule enforcing the two-consecutive year cap — even before it would go into effect the first time. (Check out the video below to see the full board discussion on term limits). 

Richard Vladovic, board president since 2013, is required to step aside, by the rules as they now exist.

“So, if I wanted to, possibly on that day, I might try to waive that rule?” Ratliff asked David Holmquist, the district’s head attorney.

Garcia followed up with, “If I was to bring a motion while [Superintendent Ramon Cortines] is chairing the meeting, that says I want to consider eliminating term limits for the president, can I do that?”

The answer to both questions from Holmquist: Yes.

And here’s how: A memo sent to board members late today said members can either vote to waive the term limit rule for one year, or they could nominate Vladovic for a third term with the stipulation that the term limit rule is being suspended for one year only.

If Ratliff or Garcia follows through with her plans, it could be a big win for Vladovic, who would likely have the four votes needed to keep him in the post, even if he abstains, as he did when Ratliff’s effort came to a vote on Tuesday. 

Vladovic had voted in favor of implementing the two-year rule after six years of García at the helm. But now, Chris Torres, his chief of staff, says Vladovic would welcome a third term.

“He is not lobbying for it. He is not campaigning for it. But if his colleagues feel that he’s the right person for the presidency, then he welcomes the opportunity,” Torres told LA School Report.

Only Ratliff has made it clear that she would choose Vladovic given the chance — she said so during Tuesday’s meeting. George McKenna, is another possible Vladovic voter. While he might still hold it against Vladovic for favoring an election, rather than an appointment, to fill the District 1 seat he won after the death of Marguerite LaMotte, he does oppose term limits on principle.

“Everybody should be able to vote for whomever they want to vote for,” he said at the Tuesday meeting, an apparent reference to letting the in-coming members vote for the candidate of their choosing, including Vladovic.

The biggest loser in this scenario would likely be Steve Zimmer, the current vice president who appeared to be the heir apparent until Ratliff had other ideas. Not counting Vladovic, he and Garcia have the most experience on the board, and Garcia is not likely to have the votes to take back the center chair — if for no other reason, the term-limit rule was passed to halt her six-year run as board president that started in 2007. 

“If I am chosen by my peers, I’ll be honored to serve, but I’m honored to serve every day,” Zimmer told LA School Report, in addressing the election possibilities. “What I believe this board and this district need right now is simultaneous stability and urgency, and they’re not mutually exclusive. The enemy of stability and progress for kids is chaos and dysfunction. Whatever happens on Wednesday, we have to keep the very urgent needs of kids, families, teachers and the community at the forefront.”

Efforts to reach Rodriguez and Schmerelson were unsuccessful.

Whether the next president is Vladovic, Zimmer or someone else, the board is moving into new territory in which alliances and priorities will take time to evolve. With two new members, it remains to be seen whether major issues will pass with big majorities or will vacillate between 4-3 votes that suggest sharp divisions.

“Sometimes it’s not about who should be president or who lobbies for the job. It’s about getting someone who can keep the majority unified,” Caprice Young, former LA Unified school board president told LA School Report.

Young, who served as president from 2001 through 2003, says she was elected to succeed Genethia Hayes because “the pro-reform side was so divided.”

Despite subscribing to the same pro-reform education philosophies, she said, “The only way we could stick together is if [Hayes] wasn’t the president. So, I said, ‘Ok, I’ll do it.’”

For the most part, the position of board president is largely symbolic although it carries a high degree of prestige since the president serves as the public face of the second largest school district in the country. The job offers no extra pay or staff or additional benefits.

Nonetheless, it will fall to the new president to lead the search for the next superintendent — perhaps the most critical decision facing the new board in the months ahead. No doubt the legacy of the winner on Wednesday will be the success or failure of the superintendent chosen.

Craig Clough and Michael Janofsky contributed reporting to this story.

The largest credit agency in the country lifted Magnolia’s rating to BB and revised its outlook from “negative” to “stable.”

“This is wonderful news for us that means we’ll be able to serve more students and get access to more resources,” Caprice Young, CEO of Magnolia, told LA School Report. Young took over the troubled network of schools in January.

Magnolia operates eight schools in LA Unified and another three elsewhere in California. It plans to use its new borrowing power to buy facilities for schools that currently lease space from local school districts and to expand existing campuses.

“In the immediate future we want to get into facilities that will allow all of our existing schools to grow above 400 students,” Young said. “Because that will allow us those schools to become financially stable.”

At the top of the list for improvements are Magnolia Science Academy 1 in Reseda and another in San Diego.

“Both of those schools have long waiting lists,” Young said.

The school board voted on March 10 to renew two Magnolia charters whose renewal the members had rescinded last year as well as one charter whose renewal they had denied and to settle a lawsuit filed by Magnolia subsequent to the denials of the schools in 2014.

But in doing so, the district broke its one-year streak of no layoffs.

Despite an increase of about $850 million over last year, 382 teachers will lose their jobs and several popular programs are being eliminated.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines choked back tears as he detailed how the surplus in funding still leaves the district in a “tenuous” position.

“So many issues, so little time,” Cortines said, breaking down. “But together, we can make progress,” he added, grabbing a tissue.

Among those getting pink slips are 9 psychiatric social workers, 19 foreign language teachers, 27 social studies teachers and 41 math teachers, which the district often has a difficult time hiring due to so few qualified candidates.

Another 227 employees who also received layoff notices earlier this year were spared the axe, including 104 elementary school teachers, 59 counselors, and 54 psychiatric social workers.

“Not only were [layoff notices] rescinded, but we’re going to be hiring about 20 new positions,” Debra Duardo, executive director of the district’s health and human services department told LA School Report. Some of those new hires will include pupil services and attendance counselors and nurses.

Duardo noted that the district often issues layoffs at the end of the school year with the intention of bringing employees back in the fall.

“It’s not that we intend to put people through agony, but we really don’t know what positions and how many schools are going to want to pay for next year,” she said. Until then, the district makes approximations.

Adult education programs suffered the greatest blow. In all 261 teaching positions were slashed, including 89 who teach English as a second language.

“That is really sad for me,” Elena Medina, parent of a district student, told LA School Report. Medina says she has been learning English in district funded adult education classes for the last three years even as services have been shrinking.

“I need to learn English so I can help my daughter in school when she needs help. I want her to be able to ask me questions and understand and help her,”  she added in Spanish.

However, a change in state funding for adult education programs may save many of the positions lost and restore most programs, Cortines told the board. Unofficially, he said, the district expects to receive about $50 million over the next few months.

“If and when we receive that money I intend to restore the adult education programs and serve the 12,000 people on the waiting list,” he said.

Some of the factors contributing to the district’s belt tightening and eating away at the injection of new cash are skyrocketing pensions costs, a 10 percent salary increase for teachers and administrators among other labor groups, years of deferred maintenance and declining enrollment.

“These structural issues are not going away,” board member Steve Zimmer told the board before the members voted unanimously to approve the new budget.

“There was not a single cut that was taken lightly…Because we care so much, these cuts have been agonizing,”  he concluded.

But it wasn’t all agony.

Under the new budget several programs will see a surge in funding, including magnet schools, dual language programs, transitional kindergarten and arts education; and the district will pay for caps and gowns for all graduating students. Foster youth and the “Zero Dropout” program will also benefit from added investments. Schools will have more custodians on campus and the district is spending on districtwide school repairs that have been neglected since the recession hit.

The combination of added expenditures and cuts leave the district with a balanced budget for the next two years but a deficit of $333 million looms on the horizon of 2017-18.

“There are no more presents under the Christmas tree,” Cortines warned. “We need to be prudent and not dig ourselves back into debt.”

Kayser, a one-term from District 5 who lost in his reelection bid last month, was lauded for his unwavering loyalty to labor groups and his role as a constant champion of early and adult education programs. The long parade of speakers — 13 in all — offered praise, hugs, handshakes, a stream of I-love-yous, lots of tears — and a brass school bell as a gift from the district.

Board members Mónica Ratliff and Steve Zimmer wept as they said farewell. Ratliff presented Kayser with a jumbo sized certificate for his service to the district then choked up, saying, “I am so sorry to see you go.”

Zimmer wrapped his arms around Kayser.

“Thank you for being our conscience when we wavered,” Zimmer said, gently rubbing Kayser’s back.  “We’ve been through a hell of a time here. Not one day on the school board has been easy but you served with dignity.”

Others wishing Kayser bon voyage into his post-school board life, included former school board president and California State Assembly member, Jackie Goldberg, and the past and present presidents of UTLA, the teachers union, Warren Fletcher and Alex Caputo-Pearl.

“What you saw was what you got and what he said was what he meant,” Goldberg said, lamenting what she called a loss of an “honest man” on the school board.

Judith Perez, president of the administrators union, AALA, who is retiring at the end of the month, called Kayser a “mensch” and thanked him for being “most responsive to the needs of bargaining units.”

Perez was also the first of many speakers to touch on the nasty campaign tactics employed against Kayser throughout his reelection bid against charter school backed, Ref Rodriguez, who joins Scott Schmerelson as the board’s two newest members when they’re sworn in July 1.

“I received the hideous onslaught of marketing materials that were sent out against you,” she said.

Kayser was accused of being racist against minorities in a flyer paid for by the political arm of the California Charter Schools Association.

At the request of Caputo-Pearl, the current UTLA president, all of the teachers in the audience rose to thank Kayser.

“Bennet Kayser, UTLA loves you!” he exclaimed.

The man himself also had a turn on the floor, listing the achievements he is “most proud of” during his four year stint. Among them: adding Ethnic Studies to the high school curriculum, the return of board member lead committees, hiring classified teachers to teach health classes, saving early childhood and adult education programs, and the continuation of two outdoor field trip programs.

Before returning to his seat, Kayser got a standing ovation.

By contrast, Galatzan, who completed eight years on the board, left the meeting just before its adjournment without any member acknowledging that she was even there.

She was conspicuously absent from the horseshoe for the entirety of the Kayser pageantry and sat through the remaining hours of the meeting unaccustomedly quiet. She had declined any public sendoff, according to her office, and was gone by the time Vladovic gave Kayser the honor of calling the meeting to an end,

UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl speaks outside LAUSD headquarters

A small coalition of community organizations rallied at LA Unified headquarters today, urging district leaders to invest in more restorative justice programs and alternative schools.

The Dignity in Schools Campaign joined with leaders of the parent group, CADRE, Public Counsel and the teachers union, UTLA, to celebrate, what they called “a minor victory.” Beginning next year, the district will stop spending $13 million in state money allocated for the neediest students on school police programs.

But, while some of that funding will now be directed toward the intended population — English learners, special education, and low income students — social justice advocates say it’s not enough.

The district’s 2015-16 budget of nearly $7.1 billion includes an additional $2 million to support restorative justice programs, which officials have said will boost the ranks of counselors throughout the district, and another $1 million for continuation schools.

“It is a step in the right direction,” Ruth Cusick, an education rights attorney for Public Counsel told LA School Report. “We want to see a full investment of $8 million in restorative justice and $5 million targeted to our options schools,” she added, admitting “it’s going to be a continued budget advocacy campaign for the next several years.”

Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of UTLA, said siphoning funds from poor students to pay for policing is a form of racism.

“When south LA and other parts of Los Angeles sometimes resemble prisons, sometimes resemble a police state, more than they look like an educational setting, that is a problem, and it is often a reflection of institutional racism,” he told a small crowd gathered on a sidewalk.

Caputo-Pearl says UTLA intends to take a greater role in setting the goals and priorities for the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan, which the school board is also expected to pass today.

Under Governor Jerry Brown’s new school funding formula, districts are required to solicit input from parents, teachers and students on how a district will spend state funding. They are also mandated to include measurable benchmarks.

“We are going to put a renewed emphasis on actually working with community organizations and parents in defining what the needs of schools are, which LAUSD has been pretty short shrift on,” he said.

UTLA teachers protesting at Carver Middle School (photo credit: UTLA)

Despite assertions by Superintendent Ramon Cortines that the 2015-16 balanced budget — up for approval tomorrow by the LA Unified school board — included more than 600 job cuts, it appears that district officials are rescinding some of those layoffs.

In March, the board passed a fiscal stabilization plan that triggered 609 Reduction in Force notices to a combination of adult education, elementary and secondary school teachers, as well as counselors and psychiatric social workers.

But over the last few months Debra Duardo, Executive Director Student Health and Human Services, managed to retain 122 of the positions.

In an email to Cortines on June 10, Duardo wrote, “I am very pleased to inform you that all current Student Health and Human Services Staff will have a position next year, including Nurses, Pupil Services and Attendance  Counselors, Psychiatric Social Workers and Healthy Start staff.”

“I want to personally thank you for your continued advocacy for our programs and promoting the importance of providing support services to students,” she added. “The investment you and the Board continue to make in Student Health and Human Services Staff helps to ensure every student is prepared and able to learn.”

Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the teachers union, told LA School Report that UTLA is continuing talks to reverse several hundred additional pink slips. UTLA represents teachers and health and human services employees.

“It’s a step in the right direction but there is a lot more to do,” he said.

While another 214 adult education teachers and 199 elementary and secondary school teachers were also issued layoff notices, about 45 successfully appealed the RIFs with the state labor board. A judge has ordered the district to reinstate those teachers in the fall.

It is also the last time with this configuration of the board. Tamar Galatzan and Bennett Kayser, who lost their seats in the March election, will be stepping down at the end of the month, replaced by their victors, members Scott Schmerelson and Ref Rodriguez, who will be sworn in July 1, the first day of the fiscal year.

But before then, a bit of palace intrigue has reached tomorrow’s agenda: A vote on Mónica Ratliff’s resolution to extend the term limits of the presidency to three consecutive years from two, a move that would allow Richard Vladovic to remain in office through June 30, 2016.

The timing of the resolution is unusual since the board only implemented the idea of term-limits two years ago, just before Vladovic followed six years of Mónica Garcia as the board president.

What’s the reasoning behind such an effort? Only Ratliff knows, and she’s not sharing. There is no explanation in the language of the resolution, and repeated efforts to get an answer from her office were ignored.

So, one is left to speculate.

It is possible that she feels two years at the helm isn’t long enough to set the right tone and direction for district policies. After all, Ratliff was not yet on the board when her colleagues passed the term-limits measure.

It is also possible she is motivated by other political factors. Here are a few scenarios that would explain her action.

Scenario One: This is the most obvious. She does not want to see Steve Zimmer, the board vice president, ascend to the office. If that’s the case, it would appear to reflect personal or stylistic differences more than than policy disagreements. She and Zimmer often vote on the same side of issues.

Zimmer is in an ideal position to rise to the top spot but only if Vladovic is termed out. With Galatzan and Kayser gone and Ratliff and George McKenna still fairly new, that leaves Zimmer as the member with the most time and experience on the board next to Garcia, who is unlikely to rise to the presidency again.

But it could be that Ratliff believes Zimmer might turn his passionate advocacy for issues he cares strongly about into an assertiveness that does not play well against her passion for the issues she cares strongly about. Vladovic, by contrast, ruled in a far more languid style.

Scenario Two: There’s a deal in the works. If Ratliff can add two votes to hers and Vladovic’s, guaranteeing that her measure passes, Vladovic rewards her by naming her board vice president or by bringing back a technology committee and returning Ratliff to its chair. It was her work on the now-defunct Common Core Technology Project Committee, after all, that led to the disintegration of the iPads-for-all program.

Scenario Three: Ratliff wants to be board president but she’d get it sooner after one more year with Vladovic than waiting out two years with Zimmer, the logical successor if the rules remain as they are.

Political maneuverings aside, the board will also vote on approving changes to benefits contracts with UTLA,  AALA, and SEIU Local 99 among others. And it wouldn’t be a board meeting without at least one charter related issue. Equitas Academy 4 is petitioning for a charter that will be located in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles.

Scott Schmerelson

While sitting LA Unified board members are combing through the latest budget proposal and wrapping up other end of the year activities, the newly-elected representatives are busy staffing up and hiring some familiar names.

Scott Schmerelson, who replaces Tamar Galatzan as the District 3 representative on July 1, has named Arlene Irlando as his Chief of Staff. Irlando is a Special Assistant in the district’s Facilities Department and was previously Chief of Staff for former board member Nury Martinez, who is now a member of the LA City Council.

Schmerelson told LA School Report that among the dozens of applicants he met, Irlando had a resume and demeanor that appealed to him best because “she is very much like I am.”

“I’m soft spoken and I try to be reserved,” he said. “I try not to jump the gun, not be yelling, and that is how she is, too. She is very measured and careful with what she says.”

Ref Rodriguez, who defeated Bennett Kayser to represent the ear-shaped District 5, has hired Aixle Aman to lead his team, according to a district official who asked not to be identified. It is a step up for Aman, who currently serves as Galatzan’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Her first name is pronounced ACE-el.

Aman is a former elementary and middle school teacher with a public policy degree from Berkeley.

Rodriguez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The board meeting was the final opportunity for parents, teachers and students to weigh in on the budgeting process. Under California’s new Local Control Funding Formula, school districts are required to solicit community input before they adopt a final budget by July 1.

Over a series of presentations, experts toggled between issuing stern warnings of an impending deficit and touting the district’s successes in meeting its LCAP goals despite a recent report to the contrary.

The district’s Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly said skyrocketing pension costs, declining enrollment, growing special education services and the district’s new labor agreements are contributing to a projected shortfall of $333 million in 2017-18.

“I am determined to position the district financially so that we have a balanced three-year budget,” Superintendent Ramon Cortines said in a brief speech, adding that “we must not continue to spend ourselves into deficit.”

He plans to use $218 million in one-time funds — more than half of this year’s infusion of extra money — to help pay for teacher raises next year. But that’s not enough to cover the spending gap in the following year, he said.

Cortines asked the public to brace for harsh cuts that he says will put the district back on track. The final budget he has submitted for approval includes a “fiscal stabilization plan” that could trigger 20 percent cuts district wide.

“We must work on addressing this deficit now,” Cortines said. “If we wait we will be forced to make sever budget cuts, raising class size and central office and department cuts.”

Reilly conceded, however, that the district’s fiscal future may not be quite so bleak.

“The Legislative Analysts Office predicts that [Governor Jerry Brown’s] budget is conservative,” she said. “That there is more money there, but we have to use the numbers the governor gives us,” she said.

Meanwhile, the district is holding up its end of the LCAP bargain by expanding programs aimed at reducing the achievement gap between the lowest performing students, often the poorest, and their more affluent peers, said Pedro Salcido, the district’s legislative liaison.

Investments in services for English learners, foster youth and low-income students is increasing by more than $150 million. Restorative justice and foster youth programs will each get a $1 million boost.

“That money is incredibly meaningful,” Angela Vazquez, a social worker who works with foster youth with the group Youth Law, told LA School Report. The previous budget to serve the district’s 8,000 foster youth students was $4.2 million, which paid for 70 counselors.

“It will significantly reduce those case loads,” Vazquea said, adding that the current ratio is 130 to 1. “Now they’ll be able to spend more meaningful time to do more meaningful work with students.

Another $3.5 million is going toward hiring additional clerical staff and nurses at high schools throughout the district. Middle school math and English class sizes will shrink with the help of $6 million while high schools will receive $7 million to do the same. And English learners will get a little extra help from a $400,000 investment to hire additional English learner coaches although they are also likely to benefit from a $4 million increase that is going to schools for “per pupil targeted support.”

Cortines’ strategy represents a complete overhaul of district services by 2016-17 for thousands of the early education students who often begin school at a disadvantage with limited language skills.

“I believe that the foundation of language and literacy for young children begins with a structured, developmentally appropriate, high quality preschool program,” Cortines wrote in a letter to board members on Friday.

He assured board members that he and his advisors “have made sure that there are enough schools in any given area so that the same number of low-income children can be supported as were previously served in SRLDP.”

Under the new plan, 2,800 children born between December 3, 2011 and March 31, 2012 will be eligible for the district’s transitional kindergarten classes. The children would have otherwise enrolled in SRLDP before the change. Transitional kindergarten had previously limited access to 10,200 children born before December 2, 2011.

The school board voted in March to cut SRLDP by 45 percent this fall and completely eliminate the program by 2016-17. As a result, the district closed 138 classrooms. However, 117 of those will reopen as transitional kindergarten starting next year while the rest will continue as SRLDP.

The reduction plan was part of the district’s efforts to minimize a projected deficit at the time. The language program costs about $36 million annually and the partial shut down saves the district $14.3 million. But that was before state officials released revised budget revenues that will send another $700 million into district coffers. 

Advocates of SRLDP had since hoped the unexpected injection of money would inspire Cortines and the board to reinstate the pre-kindergarten classes.

Instead, Cortines seized on it as an opportunity to restructure the system, with the greatest change occurring in the length of the school day. While SRLDP offers less than three hours of instruction each day, transitional kindergarten is six hours long. Class sizes are also changing. Whereas SRLDP classes are limited to 18 pupils, transitional kindergarten classes are capped at 24.

Students living in poverty — identified as those who qualify for free and reduced lunch — will have priority to enroll in the program.

Executive director of Early Childhood Education for the district, Maureen Diekmann, told LA School Report phasing out SRLDP will have no impact on employment numbers.

“Former SRLDP teachers in schools that are not implementing the new expansion program will move to a different grade level within that school if they want to,” she said, explaining that they “are usually more senior teachers.”

About 21 teachers will be reassigned, according to Diekmann.

“Nobody is going to get pink slipped because most school lose at least one teacher every year either due to retirement or other promotion opportunities,” she said.

The teachers union, UTLA, adamantly opposed cuts to SRLDP, but it is unclear where it stands on Cortines’ new proposal. UTLA did not respond to requests for comment.

The report by UC Berkeley and Communities for Los Angeles Student Success (CLASS) coalition is slated for release on Monday and found that “the bulk of LCFF dollars has seeped into the district’s base budget with… little apparent regard to the students who generate the new dollars.”

Under the state formula foster care youth, students living poverty and those requiring special education programs earn the district additional funding to supplement their education.

While the board made commitments to distribute those funds — $700 million in 2013-14 and another $145 million in 2014-15 —to an array of initiatives targeting this student population, the money was largely invested in special education efforts as well as restoring staff positions. According to the study, few of those re-hires were directly tied to instruction, especially at the elementary school level.

Research for the study was gathered through student surveys, focus groups with pupils, teachers and principals, and analyzed school-by-school budgets. 

Several improvements were made over the current school year. Spending on new instructional aides for English learners is up; programs benefiting foster care youth were launched; and funding for restorative restorative justice programs got a boost.

Other key findings included:

• LCFF “investment dollars” equaled less than 3% of LAUSD’s total budget in 2014-15
• The majority of LCFF investment dollars — $145 million — went to high schools in 2014-15
• Distribution of LCFF investment dollars to elementary schools did not follow the equity formula established by the district

The analysis concludes that the district has no coherent strategy for how new positions and program dollars supposed to spur discrete improvements at the school level. Further, district officials have no method of tracking which endeavors are successful and which need modifications.

But despite the added injection of cash —the general fund will grow by more than $700 million over last year, a 12 percent increase — district officials warn the good times will expire in just two years. While district officials project surpluses in 2015-16 and 2016-17, rising expenditures will lead to a $333.4 million deficit by 2017-18.

In a memo to LA Unified Superintendent Ray Cortines and school board members, Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly explained that drastic cuts to programs would be necessary to balance the budget for that year. However, “If implemented, it would be difficult for the District to retain any semblance of good educational programs for our students,” she wrote.

Here are a few highlights from Cortines’ proposal:

• The budget reflects an additional $311 million in one-time funds
• LCFF spending is up by $419 million. About $170 million of that is allocated for students living in poverty, requiring special education services, or foster care students.
• It reflects salaries compensation increases for bargaining units that have settled for a total of $345.8 million in 2015-16.
• $170 million have been allocated for spending on programs to make schools more equitable, including “Board priorities such as an A to G and Zero dropout initiative, and Dual Language and Magnet program expansions.”

The budget will be formally presented to the school board on Tuesday, June 16.

Students protest outside LAUSD headquarters

There are no easy take-backsies within the second largest school district in the country but it appears that at least some LA Unified school board members are hoping for a time-out before moving ahead with the Ethnic Studies resolution adopted in the fall.

An analysis of the initiative by the district budget office estimated it would cost $72 million over four years to establish the course as a high school graduation requirement by 2019. An amount that has left many board members questioning the expense and timeline of the program.

Although, the board did not include a complete budget when passing the resolution, it did allocate $4 million to launch a pilot program in a handful of schools.

“I think this is really problematic,” Board Member Monica Ratliff, told her colleagues at a school board meeting Tuesday. “A shift happened somewhere from what we voted on and what we were trying to do and what we actually had presented to us,” she said.

Board Member Monica Garcia, one of the resolution’s most vocal advocates, also appeared discouraged from pursuing the ambitious four-year timeline and suggested a “phasing” approach.

“Our district has to do things in a thoughtful, process way,” she said, warning against rushing the roll-out. 

“We need to ask [Superintendent Ramon Cortines] to bring us a solution that mitigates our purpose from the actual function of next year’s class having the requirement available,” she added.

Board Member Bennett Kayser disputed the district’s calculations defending the original budget projections that he said were based on building on existing programs and trained teachers at high schools throughout the district.

“There were a lot of suppositions in the report that made it seem like we were going to have to start shopping to fill empty pantries rather than an infrastructure that’s already in place,” Kayser said.

District officials, however, argue that the decision to add the course to list of graduation requirements is what drives up the price tag.

“When you do implement something like that, you obviously have to provide the teachers, the books, and the resources in order to make that happen,” Ruth Perez, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, told the board.

But the California Department of Education may do a lot of the heavy lifting for the district, she added. It is developing curriculum and instruction guidelines for an ethnic studies course, which could bring down the cost.

A student protests outside LAUSD headquarters

In an attempt to thwart plummeting graduation rates, the LA Unified school board unanimously approved a resolution yesterday easing high school graduation requirements and subsequently launched another districtwide study of A-G implementation. But not before sponsors agreed to last-minute changes and the superintendent pledged to enact an “immediate intervention” plan.

While the previous version of the A-G policy demanded students earn a grade of “C” or better in all college prep courses to get their diplomas, the new plan grants degrees to those who pass with a “D.”

The concession drastically changes the intention of the policy passed 10 years ago, which was an attempt to ensure all LA Unified graduates would be eligible for admission into California public universities. But those schools require a “C” at minimum, blocking admission for “D” students.

It also allows the district to mitigate an imminent graduation rate crisis, although it will not side step the problem altogether. District data indicates only 39 percent of students in the Class of 2017 — about 14,353 of 36,840 — were on track to meet the standards under the old rules. Now, under the less stringent criteria, the percentage for the same cohort jumps to 49, about 18,000 students. That is a decline of more than 20 percent from current rates.

“This has been a hard road,” board member Monica Garcia told a packed auditorium. “Not because we are not committed to a hundred percent for everyone,” but because the district struggles to “improve practice that meets the needs of all kids.” 

Garcia was the primary sponsor of the which was co-sponsored by Steve Zimmer and George McKenna. However, McKenna only backed the resolution after his colleagues agreed to issue degrees to below average students.

“I’m not saying get a ‘D,’ but for those students who don’t have the capacity to get there, they need to have the opportunity to have a high school diploma,” McKenna said, before confessing he got a “D” in French despite growing up in New Orleans.

Board member Tamar Galatzan was the most reluctant supporter. Moments before the vote she admitted she’d be casting a yes vote “with trepidation.”

“I’m worried we are setting these students up for failure because the district hasn’t gotten its act together” she said, recalling an attempt by the board in 2012 calling for an implementation plan that went nowhere. “This is the first thing the district has ever said about implementation in 10 years,” she added

On Friday Superintendent Ramon Cortines released a proposal for “immediate intervention” that allocates $15 million to pay for additional students support services for failing students. Among them is a plan to expand credit recovery programs including summer school, adult education, and online classes.

“This money will be used to benefit students who need it the most,” Cortines wrote in a letter to board members.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Ruth Perez, the district will use the next few months to prepare to “implement some pieces of the plan in August,” although she did not specify which pieces.

She did confirm that beginning next year there will be “summer school in each and every high school and some options schools.”

The unknown costs of implementing several of the recommendations listed in the resolution was a major stumbling block for Ratliff, who said she had planned to vote against it just hours before the meeting.

In addition to lowering the bar for graduation the initiative also seeks to create an intervention plan for schools failing to provide adequate access and compels the district to devise an Individual Graduation Plan for all seniors who are struggling to meet the new standards.

But a last-minute amendment calling on Cortines to “determine a reasonable estimate of the costs of such initiative” and giving the board authority to reject plans if they’re too expensive, persuaded her to vote in favor of it, making it unanimous.

“Now,” she said, “there is a commitment to have people come back and tell us what the costs are before we continue moving forward… I’m really grateful for that because I do think it’s important that we do not deprive students of a diploma because they get a D.”

Then she came clean: Ratliff failed high school Algebra.

At the top of the list is a resolution to ease rigorous graduation requirements and calls for another study — this would be the third in ten years — of how well the district has implemented the controversial A-G policy. Answer: Not very well.

Beginning with the Class of 2017 students must pass 15 college prep courses with a grade of “C” or better in order to receive their diplomas. But new data from the district shows that only 37 percent of students are on track to graduate meeting those standards.

The new plan, sponsored by board members Monica Garcia, Steve Zimmer, and George McKenna, would make a “D” an acceptable grade and essentially thwart an imminent graduation rate crisis. It would also trigger a six month study to catalogue schools that have successfully implemented the policy as well as those that haven’t.

Students at schools that are falling short would receive additional resources including an Individual Graduation Plan, access to summer school or adult education courses, and additional college and restorative justice counselors. Schools would receive extra funding while teachers get more professional development.

Similarly, a resolution by McKenna, Zimmer and Monica Ratliff called “Zero Dropouts” targets the same at risk population of students and makes several recommendations for keeping them enrolled in the district.

One suggestion: extend high school eligibility to age 22 in all cases for students who have not earned sufficient academic credits for graduation after four years of enrollment.

The district does not have a cut-off age for students. “We don’t have a clear policy at this time,” Gayle Pollard-Terry, a spokesperson for the district told LA School Report.

“We look at each case on individual basis,” she said. “We certainly are opposed to checking students out of school just because they have turned 18. It depends on number of credits and what makes the best sense for the student in terms of reaching the graduation requirements.”

Another suggestion by board members is to make school hours more flexible to accommodate high school students who may need additional support due to unique situations, including employment needs, parenting and family responsibilities, and health related issues.

The measure also calls for changes on campus including smaller class sizes and expand credit recovery programs including summer school and adult education. Adding more counselors and restorative justice programs would also be integral to the plan.

Finally, a resolution to dedicate one Communications Department staffer as the district’s premiere marketer is intended to boost enrollment which has been in decline for a decade.

Enrollment declines by about 3 percent annually owing to a decreasing birthrate, movement of families outside district lines, and the increasing popularity of charter schools. That costs the district about $100 million per year.

Ratliff argues that the district is losing the fight to charter schools because they “frequently have marketing materials that are designed to sell their schools and programs.”

An LA Unified marketing guru would do the same for many of the district’s most successful schools and programs. Additionally, district-run schools in immediate competition with other educational providers will shoot to the front of the line for help, getting marketing assistance as soon as next week.

Although Ratliff is the sole sponsor, the resolution encompasses many of the ideas discussed at last month’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole, which includes Zimmer and McKenna.