Mayor seeking to bypass school rules

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's school partnership is seeking exemptions from 86 state education laws, outraging employee unions that fear the move will weaken educational quality. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The partnership, overseeing 10 of the district's lowest-performing schools, has asked to be free from requirements on teacher certification, math training, the employee merit system, student promotion, student retention and other issues.

The partnership has to request the waivers from the district, which would then seek approval from the state. In response to the mayor's plan, district staffers wrote a proposal for the state Board of Education essentially to "waive all laws that can be waived."