EDITORIAL SUPPORT LOCAL CONTROL TELL THE SCHOOL BOARD TO BACK INDEPENDENT CHARTERS.AN epic battle is brewing over the subject of local control in public education, and it should come to a head Tuesday at 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 meeting. Superintendent Roy Romer Roy R. Romer (born October 31, 1928 in Garden City, Kansas, United States) was the 39th governor of Colorado and served as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2001 to 2006. and his legions of bureaucrats, along with United Teachers Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , have done their best to keep a crucial vote on charter schools off the agenda, if not sink it altogether. At issue is the future of Granada Hills High School Granada Hills Charter High School (Granada Hills High School) is a public, charter, co-educational, secondary school consisting of students in grades 9-12. The school colors are green, black, and white. , a crown jewel Crown jewel A particularly profitable or otherwise particularly valuable corporate unit or asset of a firm. Often used in risk arbitrage. The most desirable entities within a diversified corporation as measured by asset value, earning power, and business prospects; in takeover of the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. and model of what public education can be when the community is engaged. The parents, administrators and teachers at Granada Hills High School want their campus to become a charter - a public school free and open to all but unhindered unhindered Adjective not prevented or obstructed: unhindered access Adverb without being prevented or obstructed: he was able to go about his work unhindered by much of the bureaucracy and red tape that too often tie up traditional public schools. To that end, they've worked tirelessly and patiently, filling out all the applications, going through all the requisite hoops. They've earned their charter, and in the interest of broadening the role that local communities play in public education, they ought to get it. But the bureaucrats and the teachers union are deathly death·ly adj. 1. Of, resembling, or characteristic of death: a deathly silence. 2. Causing death; fatal. adv. 1. In the manner of death. 2. afraid of charters. They consider them competition, even though the teachers who work at charters enjoy being treated like the professionals they are. After months of putting obstacles in the way of Granada Hills' charter, Romer's administration gave it grudging approval Friday - a recognition that, despite their best efforts, there's no legitimate grounds to deny the application. But the fight isn't over. Moves will be made at Tuesday's school board meeting to reject the charter outright, and if that fails, try to postpone the vote for another day. The purpose of the strategy is twofold: First is that to become an operational charter school by the fall, Granada Hills High needs to apply for state funding by May 31, but it can't do that until it gets its charter. If the vote is delayed, the charter will effectively be denied for at least another year. Then there's the political angle. As of July 1, the composition of the school board will change, with the union's own Jon Lauritzen, a retired teacher who wants a moratorium on charters, replacing outgoing, reform-minded president Caprice ca·price n. 1. a. An impulsive change of mind. b. An inclination to change one's mind impulsively. c. Young. Opponents of the Granada Hills charter and education reform believe they will have a better chance of sinking charters once Lauritzen and other union-owned candidates take control of the board. Their hope is that by putting off a vote on Granada Hills High School, the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) establishment can, by extension, postpone important votes on granting a charter to El Camino Real High School El Camino Real High School (also known locally as "ECR" and by some more recently as "ELCO") is a public secondary school located in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. in Woodland Hills and renewing the charters on Pacoima's Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Lake View Terrace's Fenton Avenue Charter School and Pacoima Elementary School. That way, when Lauritzen comes aboard and UTLA UTLA United Teachers of Los Angeles (California) controls a majority of board members, the bureaucracy can see one charter after another go down in flames. At stake is a lot more than the future of Granada Hills High School, but the very fate of charter schools - the most promising reform the LAUSD has seen in a long while. The future of education reform in Los Angeles is on the line. Only by empowering teachers and parents can real change occur. Those responsible for the failure of public education in Los Angeles will use every means at their disposal to prevent change. Only an outcry from ordinary residents will force board members to stand up to them and do the right thing. We urge you to call board members, and let them know that the people of Granada Hills have earned the right to oversee their own school. Let them know that the LAUSD desperately needs charters. Tell them you expect them to approve Granada Hills High School's charter application and to move forward rapidly to empower your community by giving the schools in your neighbor independence from LAUSD's stifling bureaucracy. Here are board members' e-mail addresses and phone numbers: Genethia Hudley Hayes genethia.hayes(at)lausd.net 213-241-6382 Jose Huizar jose.huizar(at)lausd.net 213-241-6180 Caprice Young caprice.young(at)lausd.net 213-241-6386 Marlene Canter marlene.canter(at)lausd.net 213-241-6387 David Tokofsky david.tokofsky(at)lausd.net 213-241-6383 Julie Korenstein julie.korenstein(at)lausd.net 213-241-6388 Mike Lansing mike.lansing(at)lausd.net 213-241-6385 |
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