Bryan Cantero

Leon Popa always had a passion for medicine. Now every class he takes in high school is geared to something involving a medical career. He interns at Kaiser Permanente Hospital and is being mentored by a doctor. He is also the new student member of the LAUSD school board.

These two students said they thrived in school because of the Linked Learning program. LA Unified has 33 schools that have adopted the program; 11 more are conditionally approved for next year.

Linked Learning started at LAUSD in the 2009-2010 school year as one of nine districts in the state to try the integrated learning program through a grant by the Irvine Foundation. The program mixes rigorous academics, career and technical education, work-based learning and student support in a variety of special interests. It incorporates all the Common Core requirements and directs them toward the area of special interest.

Paul Hirsch, principal of the Hollywood STEM Academy at Bernstein High where Popa attends, said, “We had a tough start. Our graduation rate was in the 50 percent (range) and there were fights every day and the attendance was bad. We had to look for money to hire extra security guards.”

Principal Paul Hirsch of the Hollywood Academy of STEM at Bernstein High

After implementing the program, Hirsch said, “Our graduation rate is in the 80s, the attendance is at 97 percent and there hasn’t been a fight in three years. We are now using the money we raised for security guards for lab equipment.” All their grades are up, and the fail rate of 60 percent is now at 30 percent, he added.

Already enrolled in the program are the School of History & Dramatic Arts at the Sotomayor Learning Academies, the Business & Tourism Academy at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex and the Law Academy at Roosevelt High School, among others. Next year, the list will include the Design Tech, Manufacturing and Development school at Chatsworth Charter High School, Engineering and Design at Boyle Heights STEM High School and the Academy of Interdisciplinary Media Studies at Grover Cleveland High School.

“Linked Learning helps students get on the right path, and we are working with many community groups throughout the city to connect with the students,” said Esther Soliman, the Linked Learning administrator for LAUSD. “We are asking for more schools to get involved, but they have to volunteer to be a part of the program.”

“This is very different from a traditional classroom,” said Soliman, who taught three years in middle school and helped start the first program at LAUSD. She said Linked Learning started in California six years ago and is also being used in Texas and Michigan. “Boston is coming out to look at how we are doing it too,” she said.

Soliman and the students shared their thoughts in a report Tuesday to the Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Equity Committee of the LAUSD school board. Some of the committee members were clearly impacted.

“I get choked up seeing this (picture of graduates on the Sixth Street Bridge) on your folder,” said board president Steve Zimmer. “I’m very confident about our Linked Learning pathways and high school programs.”

Scott Folsom, president of the 10th district of the Parent Teacher Students Association, said, “What I saw today made my heart sing, the work is coming together, the linkages are coming together. I am extremely impressed by these bright young people telling us what they learned and seeing this coming to fruition.”

Folsom, who often is a critic of the district, added, “We’ve been doing school reform (for a long time) and we will never be done with the challenges. I can’t tell you how warm and fuzzy I feel.”

Cantero, who is a senior at the Critical Design and Gaming School at Hawkins High School, said, “I found out in school that I loved writing, but I didn’t know writing is an actual career.”

He talked about how proud his mother was when he got a paid internship. He said, “To wake up every day was fulfilling knowing that I was part of something bigger than me and my school. I love Linked Learning, and it created the thinking environment for me and taught me how to work with other people.”

During his internship he created public service announcements for a health center in their community in South Central. He said some of his undocumented family members found out they could go there and hadn’t realized it was in the neighborhood.

To get involved in Linked Learning, district schools have to submit a letter of intent and have enough professional development time set aside for the teachers, Soliman said. Teachers have to be trained for the program, which is free to the school.

The schools enrolled in the district’s program report that students are less likely to drop out of school, grade-point averages have increased slightly and students are graduating with more credits.

Popa pointed to how Bernstein High allowed him to take medical-related classes throughout high school.

“My core subjects are also linked to a medical pathway so I can see relevance of all my classes to becoming a health care professional,” Popa explained. “Elementary and middle school did not teach me what was important in my life.”

He and about 30 other students are in a Kaiser mentorship program where “we literally hang out with the interns and doctors and perform lab procedures.”

Popa said, “This changed my life for the better, and I can’t imagine how my pathway would have evolved had I not gone to STEM and met those incredible people.”

Christelle Rocha waited nine hours to speak to the board.

A group of college students told the LA Unified board this week that its effort to reach non-Internet-connected people as part of the superintendent search was inadequate.

“We walked through neighborhoods and found more than 200 community members who lacked Internet access and didn’t have a means of travel to the community meetings, but care about education and weren’t able to provide their input,” said Christelle Rocha, the chapter leader of the Students for Education Reform. Rocha said it was well worth the nine hours wait at the LAUSD school board’s long meeting on Tuesday to present her findings.

“These people did not have a car, and they didn’t know about the superintendent search, but they want to have a say,” said Rocha, who attends UCLA.

The disenfranchised people that the students identified are predominantly Latino and do not speak English. The volunteer student team found parents who didn’t know there was a search underway in the district.

“The district needs to do a better job in making these important dialogues accessible to all parents,” said Dulce Ramirez, who helped write a report that the group presented to the board. “It was even more alarming to find people who didn’t know that they have a school board superintendent that represents their children.”

The student report echoes the concerns that community groups have about not reaching some sectors of the community. Several groups have held their own forums. It also reflects some of the concerns raised by school board members Steve Zimmer and Mónica Ratliff, that the community input needs to be as inclusive as possible. Zimmer took the student group’s findings and made sure the information went to the entire board, which will interview candidates for the position in the weeks ahead.

“We commend Mr. Zimmer for encouraging more community engagement, but we have proven that the search did not reach some people in the community,” Rocha said.

Hank Gmitro, leader of the firm hired to conduct the search, said the search team tried to reach every corner of the large school district during more than two weeks of community forums and survey distributions. The surveys were printed in five languages and distributed at all schools and many community centers.

Students for Education Reform is a non-profit college group that works to encourage involvement in the K-12 education system. The members involved in the survey include students from UCLA, East Los Angeles College, California State University Dominguez Hills, Whittier College and University of California Riverside. The students created their own written survey and helped people fill them out.

“We believe that the survey currently in place, online, has not outreached to the highly dense Latino and Spanish speaking population they serve,” said Ramirez, who pointed out that more than 70 percent of LA Unified’s students are Latino.

Sydell Brooks, who participated in collecting the data, said that conversations with the community revealed “various expectations and preferences the LAUSD online survey did not address. There needs to be more investment in making sure the parents of the Los Angeles community is involved in making decisions that affect their children.”

And Antonio Hernandez who also participated in the data collection, said, “As an LAUSD student growing up, I did not know who my superintendent was, and neither did my parents. Presently, LAUSD has the resources to make the search for a superintendent known.”

He added, “Let it be that this year and this selection process is where many parents who have students in LAUSD schools can aid in the process of selecting the best candidates for their kids.”

The students presented the raw data to the school board members but didn’t compile a composite profile as the search firm did. Of course, the students didn’t get paid $160,000 to do surveys, either, as the search firm did.

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Steve Zimmer about nine hours into the meeting.

The LA Unified School Board convened at 10 a.m. and didn’t adjourn until more than 12 hours later yesterday, in a series of meetings that ran the gamut from moving forward on finding a new superintendent, to confronting ugly budget realities to diving into the minutiae of charter school applications. For background information, each member had 1,209 pages of supplemental paperwork at the ready.

Yes, it was long and tedious, and bleary-eyed members were begging for adjournment.

They had it better than some members of the public, eager to share their views with the board. Outside district headquarters, Maria Hernandez stepped in line with her 3-year-old at 5:30 a.m., ready to talk about how great her Celerity Rolas Charter School has helped her 7th grade son. She was flanked by Myra Guttierez who has a son and daughter in the school, and Kenja Jackson, who attended the school and is now in college.

They finally got to speak at about 9 p.m. when school board president Steve Zimmer took pity on the families with small children who waited for so long to speak.

“I never thought that higher education would be for someone of my kind coming from south central,” Jackson said. “I was bullied in 6th grade and then it was like family going there in 7th and 8th grade and they inspired me.”

But their school was denied a charter petition, as was Celerity Himalia Charter School, because the LAUSD staff recommended against it.

After presentations on the superintendent and financial issues, the charter discussions seemed endless, even with the two hot topics of the day/night not even discussed. Scott Schmerelson introduced a resolution against the Eli Broad Foundation’s plan to increase charter schools in the district, designed to put the board on record against all initiatives “that present a strategy designed to serve some students and not all students.”

And Mónica Ratliff initiated a measure that would ask for charter school transparency, which is almost identical one that was proposed and defeated last year by ousted school board member Bennett Kayser. It asks for charter schools to comply with state guidelines for open meetings and inform parents about school-related items like traditional school do.

Those two plans will be up for discussion and vote at the next meeting, on Dec. 8.

The board approved five-year renewals of 14 other charter schools, interspersed with hearing from parents, teachers, students and administrators talking about the benefits of the schools. When the board voted (mostly unanimously) for approval, the audience erupted in applause.

Two applications ran into trouble. Zimmer also weighed in on a charter proposal for the Oso Elementary School that was abandoned in 2003. He said, “There are few things I’m more ashamed of than how we left that campus.”

Yet, the school board voted to turn down a plan for El Camino Real K-8 Charter School to bring 525 students there and redevelop the run-down site. Why? The district wants to develop a school for students who are autistic and highly gifted.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines said that he told the El Camino Real petitioner, David Fehte, about the plans for the LAUSD-owned property at a recent meeting. Fehte seemed angry when the petition was voted down, but had another proposal for the abandoned Highlander Campus, which was closed in 1982 and vacant since 2004. Neighbors such as Jackie Keen said they looked forward to the abandoned building becoming a school again.

But, Schmerelson said he met with the local district superintendent who had plans for the campus. Fehte said that was news to him.

When there are waiting lists at high performing schools that are bursting at the seams it does not make sense to use taxpayer’s money to start a new charter school at LAUSD-owned sites, Schmerelson said. “I do not want to waste the petitioner’s time,” he added.

Ratliff asked to delay the petition proposal for the site until next month. Fehte reluctantly agreed.

Charter school advocates not only spoke up in favor of school petitions, but against some of the bond money being spent that should be shared with charter schools.

An attorney representing the California Charter Schools Association, Winston Stromberg, suggested that one of the bond measures to improve sites for students with disabilities was rushed through without stakeholder input. He recommended that the school board postpone action on the reallocation of the bonds.

Zimmer sounded insulted about the lawyer’s statements and said, “Saying that we are not following federal law and that this is unlawful is what I’m challenging profoundly.”

Sarah Angel of CCSA asked the board for a meeting before the vote. “We would ask that you table this at this time and move it to the budget committee to figure out priorities,” she said. “In the spirit of collaboration, the board of education should have a hearing. Charters have applied for this money and have not had traction.” In fact, she said the district facilities administrators told them to come back later with their requests.

Cortines said he wouldn’t approve any new construction in his last few months with the district unless there was a plan. He said he didn’t have any projects from charter schools with specific plans. He said, “I want to be collaborative, but kicking the can down the road is not going to do it.”

Ref Rodriguez recused himself from the discussion of renewal for Partnership to Uplift Communities charter schools, which he co-founded. There was some discussion in denying one petition because of an attorney general’s investigation into a mismanagement issue and conflict of interest.

Schmerelson said, “I don’t want to be the bad guy but need to protect the taxpayers and the PUC organization has to behave itself like every other organization has to.”

Cortines said, “We must be careful not to penalize the students and staff where there is a good education.”

Kenja Jackson speaks for a charter school that got denied.

The board voted unanimously to approve the two renewal requests.

As time wore on, Ratliff suggested the board consider breaking the meetings into two Tuesday nights to reduce the size of the agenda. George McKenna said, “Aren’t we just going to have two long meetings anyway?”

Zimmer seemed frustrated at the length of the meeting, and his accommodations to allow everyone in the audience to speak.

When board executive officer Jefferson Crain asked to extend the meeting yet again, the board sounded a collective groan.

“I have to go home and feed by dog,” said board member Richard Vladovic.

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In presenting a detailed accounting of community input for LA Unified’s superintendent search, the president of the search firm urged the seven board members to reach consensus on what they are looking for in their ideal candidate.

“You do not want to make this decision on four votes,” said Hank Gmitro of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. “You want to all agree.”

After the presentation, Gmitro told LA School Report it’s not unheard of for a school board—even one with such diversity as LAUSD’s—to agree on a single candidate. “It happens most of the time that the whole board agrees on one person,” Gmitro said.

After Gmitro and members of his team reviewed overall results of two weeks of 9,400 surveys and 120 community meetings, board President Steve Zimmer asked how the firm could possibly come up with candidates that have a proven track record on two strong, but nebulous characteristics that arose time and again from many participating in the feedback process: “equity” and “building trust.”

Gmitro said it’s a matter of “our vetting and your interviews and the kinds of actions they took and the results they achieved.”

By their questions to Gmitro and his team, the board members seem to be laying groundwork for finding a superintendent comfortable with fulfilling the priorities of the board, rather than bringing “an agenda” or “ego” to the position, a not-so-veiled reference to past superintendents.

“They want a humble person,” said Darline Robles, a member of the search team who summed up the characteristics that emerged from community forums. “Not someone who comes in whose ego is the forefront.”

But already, there were early signs of potential friction. In a discussion of what documents the board to consider in refining a list of preferred characteristics, Mónica Ratliff suggested they disregard a generic list provided by the search firm for general guidance and stick with the survey results. George McKenna disagreed, saying some of the firm’s suggestions might prove valuable and should be included.

As a sign of the possibility of more friction ahead, Mónica Garcia looked at the camera that was broadcasting the meeting live and said, “I hope that the potential candidates are watching this.”

The board agreed to meet in closed session at 1 p.m. next Tuesday for what Gmitro described as “a starting point for your discussion.” Already resumes have been submitted, but the firm assured the board that it would not seek potential candidates until the profile is completed.

Among the major preferred characteristics that arose from the community meetings, people said they wanted a superintendent who, among other things, is committed to a long term, does not come in with an attitude of “you are broken and I want to fix it,” can collaborate with different stakeholders, has an urgency to meet an equity agenda, has a political acumen and communicates effectively.

Gmitro said the community input went flawlessly, although everyone said they had hoped for more numbers. Of the 120 meetings, 24 were open to anyone, 14 were staff focus groups, 60 were specific focus groups, and 22 were individual interviews with school board members, the mayor of Los Angeles and others identified by the school board to question.

“We have our homework, I want to take this all in,” said board member Richard Vladovic. “I’m happy with the progress, but not satisfied with the results yet.”

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Those are some of the findings in the draft Leadership Profile compiled by the search firm hired to seek candidates for the next LA Unified superintendent.

In preparation for a public presentation tomorrow to the LAUSD school board, the search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates posted an array of responses collected from the surveys and from the 100-plus community meetings and interviews the firm held. The data dump includes breakdowns of the kinds of people they’ve heard from as well as all the comments posted on the surveys and all of the issues brought up at community meetings and by the board members.

From the seven school board members themselves, the suggestions included finding a fast learner, a listener, someone who cares about children and education, and someone who is media savvy.

A total of 9,461 people filled out the survey either online or on paper, and the same number of teachers filled out the survey as did parents (about 28 percent each). The number of students filling out the online survey was higher than the number of administrators (10 percent compared with about 8 percent).

A total of 1,605 people participated in interviews and focus groups, and the number of “community members” attending was higher than the combined totals of teachers, staff and students.

In a fascinating comparison with more than 70 other school districts and 35,000 responses nationwide, the search firm found that some of the characteristics wanted in an LAUSD superintendent were far different from the national trend. LA Unified stakeholders picked their top characteristic as: “Foster a positive professional climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff, and administrators” while that was ranked 7th in the national ranking. The top national characteristic — “Have a clear vision of what is required to provide exemplary educational services and implement effective change” — ranked only 9th among LAUSD responses.

The second highest ranked characteristic locally was more in line with the national trend. “Hold a deep understanding of the teaching/learning process and of the importance of educational technology” was ranked #2 in Los Angeles and third in the nation.

And, the third highest LA characteristic of “Guide the operation and maintenance of school facilities to ensure secure, safe, and clean school environments that support learning” was ranked only 17th nationwide.

Charter schools were brought up in every interview and focus group meeting, according to the search firm. The report says, “Stakeholders who are charter school employees, or have children in charters, describe them as great learning opportunities. Others described them as the bane of the district and believe all students should attend ‘public schools.’”

As far as charters go, the search firm recommends that the new superintendent “find a way to build bridges, and ensure quality across all the schools that serve LAUSD students. While this issue was often described as an ‘either or’ proposition, new approaches will be essential to attain a workable solution for all constituents. Some participants suggested that the district market its schools the way charter schools do by creating more LAUSD school options and choices. It was also suggested that charter schools be held to the same academic standards, assessment requirements and service options as LAUSD schools.”

In the comments section of the survey, 166 administrators, parents, teachers and staff wrote negative comments about Eli Broad and the proposal to add more charter schools to LAUSD. More than 500 comments involved charter schools, many expressing concern over how they could undermine traditional public schools.

Some attribute declining enrollment to the expansion of charter schools, the report says. Attracting students back into the district is perceived as a critical issue for the new superintendent, according to the search firm.

Staff members described recent leadership and fiscal challenges as “very difficult for everyone associated with the district,” but said that recent agreements concerning salary freezes, furlough days and layoffs have helped. The surveyors heard a lot of criticism of former superintendent John Deasy in all levels of the interviews and almost an equal amount of praise for Ramon Cortines, who took over for Deasy when he left last year.

Parents and students were very complimentary of LAUSD’s administrators, teachers and support staff member. But, staff members shared numerous concerns and examples of “feeling undervalued and unsupported.” The report says, “Consistent themes in discussions with staff members in all employment categories concerned damage done to staff morale under previous administrations.”

Some people complained about the inadequate MiSiS system and the iPad debacle, and cited technology as not a particularly big concern. The report says they received “numerous examples of inadequate, poorly maintained, and aging facilities.”

Forum and interview participants liked the new six Local District structure that Cortines formed, and “expressed an appreciation for a change in direction in trying to address issues often associated with a diverse student body by establishing a strong social justice approach.” This includes leadership for restorative justice, anti-bullying efforts, rights of LGBT students and others and commitment to equity.

Battles over large policy issues have caused stress that impact staff morale, and the report points out one participant who said, “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

Overall, the categories of “community engagement” and “instructional leadership” ranked as more important than “vision values” and “management.”

The challenges and concerns that people have for the next superintendent include: bringing families back to the district, declining enrollment, employee well-being, facility needs and financial challenges. A fair number of comments suggested a preference for an LA Unified “insider” to get the superintendent job

Ultimately, the characteristics must include the ability to manage the complex daily operations of LAUSD, have a decentralized leadership approach, communicate successfully to a larger community, and create a culture that welcomes parents into the educational process and engagement at school sites.

Is it too much to ask? The search firm stated rather plainly that it “cannot promise to find a candidate who possesses all of the characteristics desired by respondents. However, HYA and the board intend to meet the challenge of finding an individual who possesses most of the skills and character traits required to address the concerns expressed by the constituent groups.”

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Max Arias of SEIU Local 99

The union representing school support personnel is pressing LAUSD to provide the same health benefits for all its members, fearing that the district wants to create a second-class level of employees.

Among the 35,000 members of Service Employees International Union Local 99 (SEIU) are about 7,000 who work as teacher aides, community representatives, after-school coaches and out-of-school program workers. These employees do not have access to LA Unified’s health plan because it is either too expensive, or they are not eligible.

“Some of our workers could be eligible for health care if they work one more hour, and others can’t afford the insurance offered with the 50 percent co-pay,” SEIU Local 99 executive director Max Arias told LA School Report. “We want all these people to get access to health care.”

The issue arose in June with an SEIU proposal to cover the workers; SEIU was expecting a counter-proposal. Instead, the district offered possible suggestions for the workers in the job categories in question, known as F and G units, that could include a new high-deductible plan, reduced benefits for new employees, no coverage for dependents and a cut in retirement benefits.

The teachers union, UTLA, has also expressed concerns about possible cuts in health benefits by the district. The district said no decisions have been made.

“We are worried that the options they are coming up with are even more extreme,” Arias said. “Sometimes, the only person who asks a child, ‘Did you do your homework today?’ is a bus driver or TA or one of our workers. We want the district to come up with a counter proposal and come back to the table again.”

Bargaining team member Andrea Weathersby, who works as a teacher assistant at Purche Elementary School, said that the district was unprepared at their meeting to respond.

“I believe four months is sufficient amount of time to look at our proposal and come up with some alternatives if they did not agree,” she said. “But to not even take the time to make a counter proposal means they are not taking us seriously. It seems that the district doesn’t want all employees to have healthcare.”

A district spokesman said no decisions have been made that would resolve the negotiations.

SEIU leaders said they want to avoid creating a second-class level of employees with lower benefits. They are urging their members to attend the next school board meeting on Oct. 13

“It is not a protest. We need to give the school board information and tell our stories, because we know some of the school board members support us,” Arias said. “We do not want to create an action that will make them uncomfortable.”

As one example, he cited a 70-year-old part-time worker who isn’t eligible for health care. “These are dedicated employees, and the school board needs to hear their stories so they can explain it to the public,” Arias said.

The union is also collecting cards and petition signatures online. So far, no more negotiation sessions are scheduled, but Arias said, “We can and will mobilize if we have to.”

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The question arose when the board was trying to figure out what to do with the surplus of $45 million from last year. That’s merely pocket change when it comes to a $7.8 billion annual budget, but it brought up some philosophical differences among the board members.

Board member Mónica Ratliff, who prides herself on championing fiscal responsibility, asked where the money was going to go and when it was going there. She urged that the money be added to an irrevocable trust for LAUSD retiree health benefits.

But, board member Richard Vladovic, who recalled a time school budgets were far more unpredictable, said he would prefer to have the money remain more flexible for a possible catastrophe. He argued to keep the money in reserve for emergencies. Board president Steve Zimmer agreed, citing four fiscal challenges the district is now facing: state funding unpredictability, federal under-funding, debt liabilities and a declining enrollment.

“These are the major issues we are facing, and the area that we can make the most impact as a board is the declining enrollment,” he said.

“I feel that we need the maximum flexibility to remain solvent,” Vladovic said.

LA Unified’s Chief Financial Officer, Megan Reilly, said the district has about $72.4 million for emergencies. She said that is less than half of one month’s payroll (which is more than $200 million). She asked the board to approve a technical amendment for a report to the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Since the 1960s, the district has offered lifetime health benefits, which helps attract teachers from across the country. The district needs to set aside $500 million a year for 30 years to cover the $5 billion future obligations for retiree benefits, according to a state budget analysis. Last year, the district began setting aside money in an irrevocable trust, and that is where Ratliff wanted the money to go immediately.

Zimmer pointed out that the school board did not have to make a specific motion because Superintendent Ramon Cortines and his staff could move the money as they see fit. But, Ratliff shot back, reminding  Zimmer how he has said “a lot of times how important it is for the board to weigh in and take a stand.” Zimmer smiled, admitted to saying that a lot and called for a vote.

It went 5-2 to put the money into the trust as soon as possible. Vladovic and Zimmer voted against it.

Cortines said, “I believe we should be putting more money into the trust. I would do it tomorrow.” He said he felt that putting the money aside for the retiree benefits was “a matter of integrity” and “we need to show people we are serious about it, and we cannot put it off.”

Board member Mónica García said this was a step in the right direction for the “sobering responsibility of commitments we have made.”

Hank Gmitro of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates

Even before the superintendent search team passes out the first public survey, members of the LA Unified school board yesterday raised questions over questions that they want the community to consider in finding a successor to Ramon Cortines.

The board held most of the discussion in a closed meeting last night with the search team of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates. That team, which seemed to emphasize secrecy more than the other teams that were considered for the search, said that most of the discussion over the first part of the search should be held outside of public scrutiny.

Board member Mónica Garcia even asked, “Can the public know specifics about the calendar” and other parts of the survey? Hank Gmitro, of Hazard Young, answered, “That would have to go in the closed session.”

But, the parts of the meeting that were held in open session showed the board already fine-tuning the 27 questions for online and on-paper surveys intended to seek opinions from staff, teachers and parents that would ostensibly influence the search process.

“I know people are asking, ‘Why is she harping on this survey?’ but this is the first thing that people will be looking at in our search for a superintendent,” said board member Mónica Ratliff. She complained that the questions about management were toward the end of the survey, at 16 through 20, and thought those questions should be higher.

“People tend to focus more at the beginning and lose attention at the end,” she said. “I think management is important.”

Gmitro said he would randomize the questions. The search team, he said, would then use the information, as well as interviewing organizations and community groups, to generate a report for the board.

Board member George McKenna noted that when the community is asked to rank, one to five, the importance of certain skills, “Why would someone not choose all five?” He said, “I don’t know how you say no to any of these?” McKenna said he preferred questions that were more introspective, such as “Who are you?” and “What do you believe in?”

Gmitro said that their team picked the characteristics of the most successful superintendents in education, and wanted to see how the public ranked those in importance. “Not everyone will be an expert in all,” Gmitro said.

Scott Schmerelson said the first question on the survey should ask how important it is to the community for the candidate to have been an educator or a school administrator. “The number one question should be, ‘Have you been a successful teacher and administrator in a public school?’ ” Schmerelson said. “I’d like to know how important that is to people.”

In closed session, the board planned to work on the calendar and structure of the process for community engagement. They need to discuss such issues as how many different languages the survey should be translated into and how to get the word out to stakeholders, parents, community and staff members.

“We will be spending several weeks in the school district interviewing each of you and constituent groups,” Gmitro said. “We are going to have community focus groups.”

Then, they will begin the search for candidates.

Steve Zimmer

Even before he was voted in unanimously last week, the board members laid out their expectations of the future president.

Among the specifics requested: a monthly report on the search for the new superintendent and a reading of the school board’s goals at the beginning of each meeting.

The wish list came about after Mónica Ratliff interrupted Superintendent Ramon Cortines as he was asking for nominations for president. Before voting, she said, she wanted everyone to articulate their expectations of the position because “we have a rare opportunity to discuss what we would like the board president to do.”

Cortines honored the request, and she began.

“We have to have a very transparent superintendent search,” Ratliff said. That includes an update on a monthly basis “so people know where we are at in terms of that search.”

She said the president must be “somebody who is being transparent about what is going on and not making alliances behind the scenes.”

Former president Richard Vladovic joked, “I’d like to see the new president do exactly what I did.”

He pointed out, “I tried to not use it as a bully pulpit, and I tried to bring us all together.”

He admitted he faced scrutiny because, as president, he was the last one to vote on any issue. “In many cases, I got criticism for going along with the majority, but I tried to build consensus,” Vladovic said. “This board functions best when they do it in unanimity the best they can.”

Mónica García said she wanted the new president to reiterate the goals at the start of every meeting.

“We have to recognize the goals we have today, including 100 percent graduation, 100 percent student and staff attendance, 100 percent proficiency for all, safe schools and engaged families and I think that is really important,” she said.

Also a past president, Garcia said she is beginning her 10th year in office and was happy at the swearing-in ceremony that the new board members made a call for unity.

She also cautioned the new president. “The president must understand that that role is a spokesperson and that role reflects not just the seven of us as board members, but this organization. So when we make comments about our beliefs that position does get picked up at national, state and local levels that individual voices do not,” she said.

Newly-elected member Scott Schmerelson recalled that as principal of a school “at times of crisis everyone looks at you. They see if the principal is panicking, is the principal nervous or is he or she calm?”

He said, “The board president has to be the face to public and has to be open, sincere even-tempered and willing to listen, and has to represent me.”

The other new voice on the board, Ref Rodriguez, suggested that the new president get a better handle on the long board meetings.

“People don’t have enough time to wait seven hours to be heard,” he said. He also called for transparency and a lot of public input into the search for a new superintendent.

George McKenna said, “I think the board president needs to understand what the presidency is and what it is not. It is one vote. It is not—as some would like to believe—it is not the voice of the board. The president of the board speaks for themselves (sic). I would hope the president of the board is not predetermined by influences that put them on the board.”

He emphasized that the president may need to “vote for children that may not be in their neighborhood” and that the person should not be catering to the media.

“The media has its place, but we should not pander to the media for personal attention,” McKenna said. “Media has to be held accountable for accuracy and not just a sound bite. [The president] shouldn’t shoot from the hip and have to explain why you said that.”

Zimmer, before he was even elected, ticked off five qualities he thought the board president should have, including cooperation with the superintendent’s office, communication and listening.

He admitted that the new president “will have to do some healing and bringing together, and that requires honesty and integrity in our interactions. The board president has to be the broadcaster of urgency, the hopes and dreams of the children that need public education the most rest in our hands.”

Zimmer said the new president must “understand that the seven of us have to work together and the children of this city are watching us and how we treat each other.”

After he was elected unanimously, Zimmer said, “I’m going to make mistakes. We all experience it in very public way sometimes. I ask for your openness and honest input and partnership.”

Zimmer added, “When I have to get on my knees, or fall on my knees, you need to help us all get up together.”

Ruth Perez

Among the non-iPad and MiSiS issues before the LA Unified board yesterday was approving the hiring of Ruth Pérez as the deputy superintendent of instruction.

The vote was 6-0, with Monica Ratliff abstaining.

Most recently superintendent of  Norwalk-La Mirada school district, Perez has also served as a teacher and administrator in Florida and as chief academic officer for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools in North Carolina.

“I look forward to working with her in moving this District forward,” board President Richard Vladovic said in a statement issued by the district.

Perez is expected to start her new position in mid-September, effectively replacing Jaime Aquino, who left the post last December.

Aquino, now Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation for the non-profit New Teacher Center, remains connected to LA Unified through new questions over his role in the district’s contracts with Apple and his previous employer, Pearson. 

Previous Posts: LA Unified names Ruth Perez as successor to Aquino; Casillas replacing Jaime Aquino as interim Deputy of Instruction; LA Unified Begins Job Search to Replace Jaime Aquino