Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to increase the number of LAUSD Board Districts is a matter of judgment. The Board should carefully weigh all of the factors involved before making a decision.
Google Bard (end)
- If elected would you introduce the proposed "Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public" resolution? Mostly YES
The proposed resolution, as written, needs to be cleaned up. But I totally agree with the foundational principal that the school board serves the electorate. That meeting times should prioritize engagement of that electorate, which to me seems common sense. But see no issue in having it officially called out in record.
And like always ran the proposed resolution through bard to help with understanding.
Google Bard (start)
Sure, here is an amplified version of the message in the copy, specifically appealing to parents of Los Angeles public school students:
As parents of Los Angeles public school students, your voice matters.
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has a stated goal of "parent and community engagement." But how can you engage if you're unable to attend Board meetings due to inconvenient scheduling or limited seating?
Current meeting practices hinder parent involvement.
- Regularly scheduled meetings during school hours and bus transportation times: This makes it difficult for working parents, who make up a majority of LAUSD families, to attend.
- Late start times: Meetings often begin at 1:00 PM, further limiting attendance for parents with other commitments.
- Inconsistent room capacity: The LAUSD Board Room can only accommodate 155 people, often leaving parents unable to attend.
- Excessive meeting lengths: Meetings can last seven or more hours, making it challenging for parents to stay engaged throughout.
- Unfair speaker access: Outside organizations may manipulate access to the meeting, limiting representation of diverse viewpoints.
Proposed solutions to ensure parent engagement:
- Reschedule meetings to accommodate parents' schedules: Meetings should not conflict with school hours, bus transportation times, or commute times from the furthest school in the district.
- Start half of all meetings at 6:00 PM: This provides an alternative time for parents who cannot attend during the day.
- Hold budget-related meetings on weekends: This allows parents to participate in the crucial decision-making process regarding their children's education.
- Accommodate overflow attendees: Provide a separate room with a remote feed of the meeting and access to speak to the Board.
- Limit meeting lengths to four hours: This encourages concise presentations and ensures parents can stay engaged throughout.
- Ensure balanced speaker representation: Both sides of a resolution should be represented on the speaker list.
Make your voice heard.
By implementing these changes, the LAUSD can truly foster parent engagement and ensure that all voices are heard in shaping the future of our children's education.
Google Bard (end)
- Do you have any other thoughts that you would like to express about this subject?
I am the Software Engineering guy, who believes student engagement with technology will inspire them to great things.
We are approaching a period of time where Generation Alpha will have a greater understanding of technology than their teachers, but we cling to the dogmatic ways of doing the same things expecting the results to change, to magically become better.
It scares me that technologies like AI are becoming another access divide.
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