BOARD READY TO DUMP DEFIANT ZACARIAS TODAY; MAJORITY EXPECTED TO FAVOR BUYING OUT CONTRACT OF SUPERINTENDENT.Byline: Greg Gittrich Staff Writer Fed up with Superintendent Ruben Zacarias' defiant attitude and his managerial failings, a majority of the Los Angeles school The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. board agreed Wednesday to buy out his contract today or fire him if he refuses, the Daily News has learned. Ramon Cortines, former Pasadena school superintendent Noun 1. school superintendent - the superintendent of a school system overseer, superintendent - a person who directs and manages an organization and former chancellor of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. schools, was the leading candidate to be named interim superintendent pending a national search for a successor, board sources said. Zacarias hurriedly left the district's headquarters as word of the buyout spread and later scheduled a press conference but canceled it after meeting with his lawyer. ``As a citizen, I am outraged,'' said his lawyer, Joseph Coyne of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. ``We don't believe that under the present circumstances the board has the right to do what they are doing. We will take whatever legal action we need to in order to protect Ruben's interests.'' Tension between the board and Zacarias has escalated in the two weeks since he was stripped of direct managerial control with the appointment of Howard Miller Howard Miller may refer to
The board was set today to redesignate Miller as chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. , but Zacarias' restructuring announcement and continued refusal to accept a redefined role infuriated in·fu·ri·ate tr.v. in·fu·ri·at·ed, in·fu·ri·at·ing, in·fu·ri·ates To make furious; enrage. adj. Archaic Furious. members and led to a majority agreeing Wednesday to add the buyout to the agenda, sources said. Zacarias has 20 months left on his contract, which was extended for a year by the outgoing board in June. He is paid $188,000 and would be eligible for an annual pension of nearly $150,000. Board members Genethia Hayes, Caprice ca·price n. 1. a. An impulsive change of mind. b. An inclination to change one's mind impulsively. c. Young, Mike Lansing prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. sources close to the board. Victoria Castro and David Tokofsky opposed the action, while Julie Korenstein was wavering despite saying it was premature to remove Zacarias. ``The superintendent chose his own fate,'' Young said. ``The main issue is how he has failed to move policy into action. He's usually right on the policy, but he is not strong at all on moving that policy into action. ``We tried to help him with that by hiring a chief executive officer with strong implementation skills. The superintendent rejected that, and I will vote for a buyout.'' Hayes, Young and Lansing were elected along with incumbent Tokofsky as a reform slate, but Fields has consistently sided with the reformers while Tokofsky has backed Zacarias. List of issues The board delayed Zacarias' quarterly evaluation on Tuesday but had developed a laundry list laundry list A popular term for a long list of Sx, diseases, or etiologies that share something in common–eg, differential diagnosis of acute abdomen of managerial failings in the district that they believe can be traced back to the superintendent's ``flawed management.'' Covering every major aspect of the public school system and highlighted by the district's incompetent management of the scandalous Belmont Learning Center This Belmont Learning Center contains information about a building currently under construction. It may contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as construction progresses and new information becomes available. , the accusations include that Zacarias: stood by as administrators purchased millions of dollars of toxic property for schools in South Gate without adequate environmental assessments. failed to locate a backup site A backup site is a location where a business can easily relocate following a disaster, such as fire, flood, or terrorist threat. This is an integral part of the disaster recovery plan of a business. for a high school if Belmont could not be built because of environmental problems. failed to significantly raise students' scores on standardized state tests. did not adequately evaluate and counsel senior administrators. In Zacarias' reorganization plan A scheme authorized by federal law and promulgated by the president whereby he or she alters the structure of federal agencies to promote government efficiency and economy through a transfer, consolidation, coordination, authorization, or abolition of functions. , he envisioned chopping the district into 12 semiautonomous sem·i·au·ton·o·mous adj. 1. Partially self-governing. 2. Having the powers of self-government within a larger organization or structure. sem minidistricts and overhauling the chain of command to reflect private management structure. However, in a defiant attempt to retain control of the district, the superintendent also removed Miller as CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and put him in charge of new school construction - the role originally assigned to the developer and former board member. Zacarias insisted he did not need board approval to implement any of the changes. Viewed as an act of near treason by the majority of the school board, Zacarias' rogue reorganization plan prompted board president Hayes and vice president Valerie Fields to move to oust him. ``The superintendent's reorganization shows total disregard for the decision of the board to put Mr. Miller in charge of the day-to-day operations of the district as chief executive officer,'' Fields said. ``We thought that the superintendent had a lot to offer and that he could do some long-term planning for the district if he agreed to work with Mr. Miller. He showed a complete unwillingness to accept that decision.'' Zacarias supporter Castro, a longtime Zacarias supporter, accused the reform board members of planning to remove Zacarias from the day they took office in July. ``My understanding is it's a done deal,'' Castro said. ``If they posted it, in my experience that's it - it's done. It's not a surprise to me. ``I have to equate it to a hostile takeover Hostile Takeover A takeover attempt that is strongly resisted by the target firm. Notes: Hostile takeovers are usually bad news, as the employee moral of the target firm can quickly turn to animosity against the acquiring firm. of a corporation. You put a new board in place, you don't inform your stakeholders of significant changes, and you take over a public entity. You make it into a corporation.'' Korenstein said efforts to remove Zacarias were hasty and premature. ``It's bad for the district; it's dangerous for the district; it's very unproductive. And it will cause such a major reaction that it will be difficult to pick up the broken pieces,'' Korenstein said. ``It would be good, at a minimum, to begin a national search and know what kind of priorities we want in a superintendent and know what we're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. . It would have been good to complete his evaluation to know whether or not he fulfilled the criteria we gave to him.'' Tokofsky, who represents a predominantly Latino portion of the district, also was critical of the majority. ``There is a difference between thoughtful governing and campaign promises,'' Tokofsky said. ``I think we ought to be more thoughtful. If the action is to sever the superintendent's contract, I will oppose that action.'' Since the board's decision to elevate Miller, several hundred Latino parents and community organizers have protested outside LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) headquarters to support Zacarias and denounce the managerial shake-up. Sigifredo Lopez, president of the Parents Community Coalition that organized last's week rally, criticized Hayes and said a demonstration would be held today in support of Zacarias. ``She has no respect for the community and no respect for the students,'' Lopez said. ``These people are not looking out for the students. It's completely insulting to the process and insulting to the community.'' Led by state Sen. Richard Polanco Richard G. Polanco, is a former California State Senate Majority leader and member of the California State Assembly. He is known for his significant efforts in increasing Latino representation in the California Legislature. and County Supervisor Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. , the superintendent's supporters charged Miller's appointment violated the superintendent's contract and broke state education laws. The outcry prompted the board to agree to vote on Miller's appointment again in public today and change his title to chief operating officer. The original vote, coming after environmental problems were discovered on proposed sites for schools in South Gate, was taken behind closed doors with almost no advance notice and without public discussion. Dealing with anger Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. , D-Los Angeles, who tried to mediate the standoff between Zacarias and the board, said board members must now take steps to quell the anger their handling of Zacarias caused. They must include the public in the process of picking a new superintendent, rather than choosing one behind closed doors, he said. ``What this city needs right now is to calm the waters,'' said Villaraigosa, a likely mayoral candidate. ``We need to have a public dialogue, and we need to find someone who can be a change agent and is willing to do whatever it takes to make our schools the envy of the nation.'' Assemblyman Scott Wildman, D-Glendale, a leading Belmont critic, said the board now needed to put together a plan for reorganizing the district. ``I want to see changes,'' he said. ``I don't want to see just a change of faces.'' Staff Writers Sherry Joe Crosby, David R. Baker and Beth Barrett contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Superintendent Ruben Zacarias gets in his car after leaving his office through the back of LAUSD headquarters to avoid the press. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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