EDITORIAL THE ADMIRAL COMMANDS POLITICAL WINDS OF CHANGE SWEEP THROUGH LAUSD HEADQUARTERS.LOS Angeles schools 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. chief David Brewer This article is about the businessman and Lord Mayor of London; for the American jurist, see David Josiah Brewer Sir David Brewer CMG (born 1940) was Lord Mayor of London between 2005 and 2006. III took his first big step into the city's political theater last week when he released his proposed operating budget Noun 1. operating budget - a budget for current expenses as distinct from financial transactions or permanent improvements budget items, operating cost, operating expense, overhead - the expense of maintaining property (e.g. for next year. With this spending plan, Brewer has indicated his support for reform and for decentralization de·cen·tral·ize v. de·cen·tral·ized, de·cen·tral·iz·ing, de·cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To distribute the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities. of power and resources -- and indicated his understanding that his success hinges Hinges may refer to:
Brewer, as the administrative head 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. , is wise to notice and respond quickly. And this budget appears to be evidence of that. Brewer said he will restructure the enormous district to shift money and resources from the administration -- and into the schools and classroom -- and that he will cut about 500 nonteaching LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) jobs, mostly from the district's downtown headquarters. On first glance it sounds like a heavy blow to the district. How can it operate with 500 fewer employees? But consider that 500 jobs are only about 10 percent of the nonteaching jobs. Indeed, having such a large nonteaching work force shows just how far the LAUSD has strayed from its mission of education. In fact, it seems the main goal of the district for decades has been self-perpetuation of a failed system. Up until last week, it was unclear what Brewer's impact on the district would be. The former U.S. Navy admiral has said all the right things since the board hired him last year, but that hadn't yet translated into real action other than commissioning an audit of the district's operation. Brewer promised to work for educational reform with the mayor and the school board, but ultimately did nothing bold or innovative until the power struggle for control of the district was settled. This is a good first step by Brewer -- but it is just a first step. It's clear that, from this summer on, reform is coming to the district one way or the other. He can either help it drive forward -- or be run over by its momentum. But he will not be able to ignore it. |
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