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Might Will Not Make Right

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Carl Petersen
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Administrators from Citizens of the World attempt to end a protest against their co-location of Shirley Avenue Elementary School
Administrators from Citizens of the World attempt to end a protest against their co-location of Shirley Avenue Elementary School
(Image by Carl J. Petersen)
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_blank" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/mikehtrujillo/status/1475209054418919425?s=20">Keep your website up and hear from our attorneys now that you know the truth." - Charter School Advocate Michael Trujillo

In the 2020 elections, those supporting public education in the LAUSD won three out of the four seats available on the school board. However, these three victories were not enough to keep control of the board. As the year came to a close Tanya Ortiz Franklin joined Nick Melvoin, Kelly Gonez, and Monica Garcia to form a majority that served at the pleasure of the charter school industry.

The return on investment for the millions of dollars that the charters spent on these elections has been stunning:


(Image by Carl J. Petersen)   Details   DMCA


(Image by Michael Trujillo)   Details   DMCA

Not satisfied with the power that they already hold, the charter school industry and its supporters have tried to silence critics through intimidation and legal threats. As an example, the Citizens of the World chain of charter schools pressured LAUSD bureaucrats to silence activists at Shirley Avenue Elementary School. When this did not work, they tried to get the LA School Police to declare activities protected by the First Amendment illegal. To strengthen their hand, the charter chain filed a restraining order against the loudest of the protestors, using laws that are meant to protect victims of stalking.

Following in Citizens of the World's footsteps, a charter school industry political operative, Michael Trujillo, threatened me in a recent Twitter exchange. He stated that I would "hear from our attorneys" if I did not remove information about Nick Melvoin's (possibly former) Chief Advisor. Ironically, the facts that he deemed to be incorrect came from his own Tweet and his client, Allison Holdorff Polhill's website (which as of this writing still claims that she "currently serves as chief advisor and district director to the vice president of the Los Angeles Unified School District"). The information that Trujillo provided also did not change the nature of the allegations against Polhill.

With all three board seats up for election in 2022 held by the charter school industry, it is more important than ever to speak truth to power. I will, therefore, continue to expose the corruption of these publicly funded private schools and the damage that they do to the 80% of students who attend public schools. No amount of threats by Trujillo will stop that.

Carl has been making outlandish claims for years and nothing has ever bore fruit, he's like 0 for 289. He should sit this one out, he won't. See y'all next year. Have a nice Sunday.
Michael Trujillo (@mikehtrujillo) December 26, 2021

A look back at some of the other stories that I covered during the past year:

January

February

  • Expanding Inequity: As Los Angeles school closures approach the first anniversary, teachers from a high-priced private school jump the COVID-19 vaccination line.
  • This Is How To Fight For Public Education: Los Angeles board members could learn from the approach of newly elected Oakland Unified School Board trustee Mike Hutchinson.

March

  • Getting Advice From Texas? LAUSD School Board President Kelly Gonez brings in a controversial former Texas Education Agency official to coach the board on governance.
  • Educating The Squeaky Wheel: Many parents remain cautious about physically returning to school while groups pushing a forced reopening get an outsized voice in the media.

April

May

June

July

August

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Carl Petersen Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram Page

Carl Petersen is a parent, an advocate for students with special education needs, an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, a member of the LAUSD's CAC, and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, the Network for Public Education (NPE) Action endorsed him, and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a " (more...)
 

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