Mayor's Clusters Discussed in Committee
The board of education's new Charter and Innovation Committee met for the first time Thursday to discuss new reform strategies including the partnership with the mayor's office to manage two families of low-performing schools.
While board President Monica Garcia--who created the committee--and committee chairperson Marlene Canter lauded the committee's mission to create innovative partnerships, provide oversight for charter schools and facilitate reforms in the district, a couple of the board members did not try hard to mask their skepticism.
Board member Julie Korenstein repeatedly emphasized that she had not been informed about the plans with the mayor, going out of her way to make it clear during the public meeting that she believed the deal was struck behind closed doors with no board input. Korenstein also expressed her frustration that the local district superintendents of the schools that will end up in the mayor's partnership would have no oversight of those schools.
Korenstein also wondered who would be liable--the city or the school district--if something happened at the campus of one of the partnership schools. The mayor's education adviser Marshall Tuck said that was still being worked out and would be determined before they finalized the contract with the district.
And her colleague Marguerite La Motte, another vocal opponent of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's efforts to have a role in the school district, said any partnership should include the option of ending the program anytime before the five-year contract is up if it's not positively affecting students.
A frustrated Canter said she understood there was some tension based on contentiousness surrounding the fight to stop the mayor's failed legislation to have a significant role in the school district--Assembly Bill 1381--but "this is not the 1381 fight."
The Charter and Innovation Committee will meet the first Thursday of every month at 1 p.m. in the LAUSD board room at 333 S. Beaudry Ave., Los Angeles. Agendas are available online at www.lausd.net.