LAUSD to end consultants

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines Tuesday announced a hiring freeze on all building consultants for at least 30 days, giving him time to do his own review of contract irregularities reported by the school district's internal watchdog agency. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Ironically, Cortines' hiring freeze accompanied a lengthy defense of the district's Facilities Department, which manages LAUSD's $20 billion school construction program, in front of the school board.

"The issue here is that my policy direction was not communicated to all levels of management and staff," Cortines told the board. "Facilities has corrected this," he said in reference to problems reported by the district's Inspector General's Office last month.