The Watts Learning Center "did not consistently attain measurable increases in academic achievement in all academic performance indicators schoolwide and for all numerically significant student groups between 2022 and 2023 and between 2023 and 2024 based on California School Dashboard data."
- LAUSD Charter School Division
With its charter nearing the expiration date, Watts Learning Center asked the LAUSD for a renewal. Before the Board considered this "middle-performing" school's request, my wife made the following comments on my behalf:
Last night it was reported that Superintendent Carvalho is being sued for improperly distributing funds under PROP-28. While it is encouraging that he will finally face accountability for his actions, I found it ironic that his predecessor, Austin Beutner, is behind the litigation.
During his time with the LAUSD, Beutner was responsible for his share of fiscal mismanagement. This included wiping away over $7.6 million in debt owed to the District from charter schools. This money was for overallocation penalties when these publicly funded private schools took more space from LAUSD schools than was allowed under PROP 39. Under District policy, 90% of this money was slated to directly benefit the students who were affected by the theft of their space. Board Member Schmerelson referred to this as "a shady deal [that] was made by the previous superintendent".
Last month, one of the beneficiaries of this gift came before you asking for a renewal of its charter. Despite some of you pledging during your campaigns to look into this giveaway to the Charter School Industry, not one of you asked about the $28,111 the Charter School Division wiped away from what KIPP Corazon owed for a penalty mandated by state law.
Today you have another chance. The gift to the Watts Learning Center was even more significant, with $169,837 wiped away without any explanation to the Board or the public. Why weren't these students appropriately compensated?
Supporters LAUSD of the Charter School Industry spent almost $6.2 million in the November election trying to avoid accountability. The voters rejected these candidates and provided you with a mandate to end the corruption and poor performance of these publicly funded private schools. Will you step up today and ask questions about this apparent theft of funds?
Once again, the Board elected to represent the interests of Los Angeles students failed to ask any questions about this unpaid debt. During the campaign, Board President Scott Schmerelson called it a "shady deal," but passed on an opportunity to ask about the details. What makes him so afraid to confront the District's bureaucracy?
It was not only this apparent theft of funds that the Board ignored as they considered approving this publicly funded private school for another five years - Schmerelson placed the item on consent so no discussions or questions were had before the vote. Watts incurred the overallocation fees because they told the District they would have more students than had actually enrolled. This would seem to indicate flaws in the operation of the school, but the LAUSD Board also passed on the opportunity to explore whether this is part of a larger problem.
During the comment period, paid Charter School Industry lobbyist David Tokofsky stated that Watts sets "an example of rigorous academic history and curriculum focus," but the data tells a different story. The charter school's English Language Arts and Mathematics performance were both rated by the state as Orange (low) with scores trending downward. If the purpose of creating charter schools, and diverting education funds from their public school competitors, was to increase student performance, shouldn't this lack of performance have been discussed?
With Gavin Newsom's automatic extension of charter school terms expiring, the LAUSD Board will experience a flood of renewals in the next couple of years. With a mandate to hold these schools accountable, they need to do more than blindly approve schools like the Watts Learning Center without discussion.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
