MAYOR PRESSES LAUSD REFORM, HEADS TO N.Y.Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer Questioning whether current school board members have the passion to significantly change Los Angeles' public schools, Mayor 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. pressed his call Friday for dramatic reform in district governance. Villaraigosa said one of the fundamental changes he wants to see in 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 mayoral appointment of a superintendent and a limited role for a new, elected board of education. ``From what I understand, 70 percent of their time is spent on construction issues,'' Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. ``It seems to me they should be spending their time on instruction when we have anywhere from 25 (percent) to 50 percent of our kids dropping out and the highest illiteracy illiteracy, inability to meet a certain minimum criterion of reading and writing skill. Definition of Illiteracy The exact nature of the criterion varies, so that illiteracy must be defined in each case before the term can be used in a meaningful rate in the nation.'' School board member David Tokofsky disputed the mayor's assertion. ``To say we spend 70 percent of our time on construction issues is folklore,'' Tokofsky said. ``It is not where we spend all our time.'' ``We need to take a broader approach and it needs everyone involved,'' Tokofsky said. ``We have had the passion for reform and we have been pushing reform. What we need now is to begin transforming these schools and making them better.'' Villaraigosa is going on a two-day trip to 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. , where he will meet with Mayor Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, and the founder of Bloomberg L.P., currently serving as the Mayor of New York City. He was a general partner at Salomon Brothers before founding the financial software service company in 1981. and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of education and teachers union officials, as well as leaders of nonprofit groups and business organizations that are working to improve that city's schools. He said he hopes to visit other cities - including Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit - where mayors have increased their role in public education to see what has worked. Villaraigosa said officials from 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. , the teachers union, declined to join him on the New York City trip, but he said he hopes they will join him on future trips. UTLA UTLA United Teachers of Los Angeles (California) President A.J. Duffy said this week that he hopes to deter some of the mayor's broader ambitions for a takeover of the district by suggesting a separate reform package that would involve a pilot program to break off a portion of the district for an experimental approach in education reform. Villaraigosa said Friday that he is open to discussions with the union, but believes the public is ready to give his office more authority. ``I think if you look at the reasons we are seeing a diaspora of the middle class from cities, it's for three reasons - public safety, public education and the cost of land,'' Villaraigosa said. ``Los Angeles today is as safe as it was in the mid-1950s. We are working to make more housing available. Now we have to work on schools.'' Rick Orlov, (213) 978-0390 rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com |
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