"Take a stance, start now, and fight back against the system that has left us to rot and fester." - Axel Brito
The pace of change in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is frustratingly slow, even when it involves the health and safety of our children. As a candidate in 2015, I highlighted the district's "flushing policy" that required schools to run every water fountain "a minimum of 30 seconds" before school each day. This "stop-gap measure" was enacted seven years earlier following an NBC4 report that showed aging pipes and water fountains were leaching lead particles into the drinking water at LAUSD facilities. In the next seven years, I would still see signs mandating these flushings on water fountains when I visited my children's schools.
The failure of the school district to prioritize the replacement of lead fixtures and installation of filters to protect the developing brains of children is indicative of a school board that has been controlled by the charter school industry for years. Instead of putting Kids First, board members like Tanya Ortiz-Franklin, Kelly Gonez, Nick Melvoin, and Monica Garcia have wasted valuable education funds chasing the latest education "reform" trends. They have also prioritized the growth of charters while ignoring the needs of neighborhood schools and created a narrative of "failing schools" to justify giving away campuses like Orville Wright STEAM Magnet to publicly funded private schools like WISH Charter.
The story of the damage done by these board members was told in detail by Axel Brito in his speech to the 2022 graduates of Hollywood High School as their valedictorian. Instead of listening to what this student had to say, the LAUSD's bureaucracy tried to shut him down. Ironically, this allowed him to demonstrate the point that his success should not be conflated with administrators or the district, but with his "passion and the passion of [his] teachers." Brito managed to avoid the roadblocks laid down by the administrators on stage at the Hollywood Bowl and successfully delivered his prepared remarks. Nick Melvoin may not have been willing to hear what Brito had to say, but his words were heard by thousands over social media.
Brito was not alone in feeling frustrated over trying to be heard by the leaders of the district. Over the past year board members have often blatantly ignored parents and other members of the public as they attempted to have their concerns addressed. Superintendent Carvalho literally turned his back on me during my comments expressing concern about a contract that the district had signed with the Florida Department of Education. At some meetings, the Board's President, Kelly Gonez, would cut the mikes of speakers whom she did not want to hear.
This feeling of being ignored is felt especially strongly by some parents who have children with severe Special Education Needs. As an example, LAUSD Vicky Maronyan has been fighting to keep her daughter enrolled in a program that was made unavailable by district bureaucrats despite its successes. When pressed to comment on the difficulties parents like Maronyan are facing, representatives from the Division of Special Education continue to say that "placement continues to be an IEP decision and it is based on the individual student's needs." Pretending to give parents power while at the same time limiting their choices erodes trust. A petition to urge the board to pass a proposed resolution that would help restore faith in the district's handling of Special Education is now circulating.
Parents and other members of the community finally held the charter industry-backed majority responsible for the damage that they have caused during this year's elections. Supporters of Nick Melvoin had to spend over $2 million to defend his seat against two unfunded candidates, including one who was completely unqualified. Inexplicably, UTLA endorsed Kelly Gonez over her opponent, Marvin Rodriguez, who is a teacher, parent, and member of the union. Still, Gonez won re-election by just 2,559 votes. In Board District 2, Rocio Rivas beat Monica Garcia's hand-picked successor, Maria Brenes, giving pro-public education forces their first true majority in years.
As one year turns into the next, a school district that has failed miserably at engaging its parents will turn a new corner. While the election of Marvin Rodriguez would have been a game changer, having Dr. Rocio Rivas on the board will mean that public school students will finally have the fighter on their side that is needed to bring necessary improvements to the LAUSD. Next year's report card should be interesting.
A look back at some of the other stories that I covered during the past year:
January
- David Beats Goliath! KIPP charter schools tried to bypass environmental laws to build a school on a site contaminated with toxic waste. The community fought back.
- Is Corruption Built Into The Charter School System? Getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar should have ended his career. Instead, David Fehte was hired to lead another charter school.
February
- I Hope Our New Superintendent Is Smart Enough To See Past This: Carefully orchestrated visits to school sites are not going to give Alberto Carvalho the information he needs to successfully run the LAUSD.
March
- Protecting Public School Students: Charter schools with operational deficiencies should not be given space on LAUSD campuses, especially when doing so puts children at risk.
- Plan Ahead? The LAUSD board eliminates the district's mask mandate just as a new, more contagious sub-variant takes hold in Los Angeles.
April
- No News Was Bad News: The Charter School Division finally discloses that they have forgiven $7,678,022 of charter school debt owed to the students of the LAUSD.
- Candidate Alleges Possible Retaliation: Jesus Arana, who is running against LAUSD Board President Kelly Gonez, claims that he was forced to retire from his job as a LASPD Sergeant.
May
- A Well Earned Victory: Shirley Avenue Elementary gets back rooms taken from them by Citizens of the World Charter School. Will they get paid the money owed to them?
- Above The Law? Jerry Brown has spent decades in the government and should be familiar with the Public Records Act. Why isn't he following its provisions?
June
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