Bill Boyarsky

July 26, 2011

Bill Boyarsky: LAUSD reaches out to middle class

By Bill Boyarsky

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Los Angeles’ new school superintendent, John Deasy, says one of his top goals is to persuade middle-class families, including Jewish parents, to return to the Los Angeles public schools. “It’s one of the major projects I have to deliver,” he said.

I interviewed Deasy last week in his office on the 24th floor of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) headquarters, just west of downtown Los Angeles.

Deasy has been superintendent since January. Before taking the LAUSD job, he was deputy director of education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major supporter of charter schools. Charters are publicly funded but are run with considerable independence; they also often receive substantial private funds and operate outside of union contracts. Deasy also has served as superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Prince George’s County public schools in Maryland.

It was our first meeting. He — or a member of his staff — had checked me out, and he had read my articles on education. Most important for readers of The Jewish Journal, he was on top of the middle-class issue.

He told me he’s been talking with parents about getting private-school students to enroll in public schools, including those on the Westside and in the West Valley, home to many Jewish families. “People are saying they want to come back, but come back with confidence,” he said. “And that’s my obligation. And I think some are coming back because of the huge economic pressures, which are not going to get better soon. And so, while they may be forced back economically, we want them to feel welcomed and comfortable that the decision … can actually better the lives of their sons and daughters.”

Deasy said school board member Steve Zimmer, who represents much of the Westside, sparked the back-to-public schools effort. He said Zimmer was supported in this by Tamar Galatzan, who represents the West Valley. Both are Jewish.

“I have a whole team on this,” Deasy said. “And we’re going to spend some money to incubate programs that are highly attractive for parents to come back to. At the same time, I am … improving the district, so, as students come through these programs, they will continue to matriculate to better and better public schools.”

He said the program would be presented to the Board of Education in autumn.

Elevating the back-to-the-public-school campaign to a top district priority would be a change. It’s been going on for a few years on some campuses, but has depended on the interest of principals and parent groups. Operating with the intensity of a political campaign in some areas, it has worked. “This is about organizing — listening, communicating … [going] to churches, synagogues, neighborhood councils, door to door,” Zimmer told me when I interviewed him a while back.

Parents dealing with LAUSD face a bewildering number of choices, including traditional public schools, magnets, charters and pilot schools, the last of which offer a blend of charter and traditional approaches. 

“I would acknowledge that now we make choice difficult for parents,” Deasy said. “We want to make it much easier. … Parents shouldn’t have to figure out the system. We are developing a portal [on the LAUSD Web site], which lays all this out. We want parents not to search but to be fed information. And, of course, [the site will be] in all of our six predominant languages, so that what you are left with is to make a choice, not to wonder how to find something. It is one-stop shopping, how to register, how to transfer, how to learn about choices, how to understand college applications, how to fill out a financial-aid form, immunization rules, counseling and support, after-school options.  Up to this point, it has been hit or miss, or, worse, fractured information.”

A major obstacle facing Deasy is the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles. The union is opposed to charters, test-oriented teacher evaluations and any easing of seniority rules that would make it easier to fire teachers. All these steps are favored by LAUSD’s critics, who consider them reforms. Deasy’s time as an executive of the charter-supporting Gates foundation makes the union suspicious of him.

The union has a new president, Warren Fletcher, who succeeded the combative A.J. Duffy. Deasy said he and Fletcher “are working on building a strong relationship together. We both have enormous responsibilities on our shoulders, and we both don’t want to make mistakes in our first year. I have met him a number of times now,” Deasy added. “He wants to do the right thing by his membership and students, and so do I. … How we disagree will be the hallmark of our relationship, that it will be a respectful and productive disagreement when it occurs, and a very respectful and productive collaboration when it occurs.”

If that miracle happens, it will change the theatrics of the Los Angeles public-school debate. With the shouting toned down, perhaps the two sides can then get down to substance, and the district can be made into something attractive to all Los Angeles, to become, as Deasy said, “Best in the West; No. 1 in the nation.”

A version of this article appeared in print.

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I take issue with the Superintendent’s statement that it is the Unions that are impeding progress. This is a untruth, as all teachers truly want is to be partners, after all teachers’ working conditions are the students’ learning conditions.

Also, in this time of budget-cuts and recession, an “entire” team dedicated to finding programs with an eye to winning the middle class (code for whites/anglos?)back? - it’s already in place and called the magnet program Mr. Superintendent. Although, simplifying the informational process would be swell.
We might need to work at keeping those programs, before we try to come up with other programs.

Sincerely,

Jeni B Nudell

Comment by jeni b nudell on 7/27/11 at 7:50 am

LAUSD already has over 100 schools that attract long waiting lists of students and have higher than charter school test scores that are run by UTLA teachers called MAGNET SCHOOLS.  Instead of expanding these very successful schools LAUSD has been cutting their staff and even tried to close them down this year by firing all the coordinators.

Why are we wasting millions of $ on “Education Deform” when we already have schools that have been top performers for decades with full UTLA support?

Who benefits when we put these new “deforms” in place? 

Follow the money.  Billionaires never give away money, they always invest in something from which they can profit.

Comment by J. Nelly on 7/27/11 at 2:07 pm

Mr. Deasy may not have created all the problems, but he certainly isn’t solving them.  Is he even trying? With the current layoffs, some schools are facing 50 kids to a classroom.  Layoffs were done without any thought to the needs of the schools or their students.  He ignores the protests of students who want their favorite teachers back.  All the while he is pointing the blame at everyone but himself.  Does he think these actions will create a quality school system?

Comment by Margaret Ruskin on 7/27/11 at 2:33 pm

Mr. Deasy must also understand that if he wants Jewish kids, he needs to provide an opportunity for the non-religious basics of Jewish education: Fluency in Hebrew,  Aramaic and History of the Jewish People. There should be after-hour educational opportunities to include: Jewish holidays and practices, bar/bat mitzvah prep, Jewish music and arts, and Halacha.  If that can be arranged, good.  If not, a secular education devoid of Jewish studies will lead straight to the disenfranchisement of the children from the Jewish people and culture.

Comment by Abbushuki on 7/27/11 at 6:01 pm

The word REFORM, is not in the LAUSD or the Union’s dictionary.
Short of private schools, when parents can afford it, Magnet Programs are the way to go, as the kids in Magnets “REALLY” want to be there to learn.

Mr. Deasy thinks some kids are coming back from Private schools because of the huge economic pressures, which is probably true, but he is flat wrong when he says that the decision to come back to public school “can actually better the lives of their sons and daughters.”

Comment by Bill on 7/28/11 at 12:14 am

@Bill

You are wrong.  The idea for charter schools came to public prominence from American Federation of Teachers President Albert Shanker.  Students will benefit from public schools by attending schools that are diverse in race, religion, economic class and privilege. We can’t have a democratic society when privileged classes segregate themselves.

LAUSD and UTLA have constantly reformed their practices in the classroom.  What has not been reformed is the continuing decline in funding.  We are now 48th in the country in per pupil funding, have some of the largest class sizes, fewest counselors and support personnel, and highest levels of segregation.

Comment by J. Nelly on 7/28/11 at 10:40 am

As for your comment about Magnets how much more insulting and dismissive can you be about what teachers there accomplish.  What separates the kids in Magnets from other kids is that their parents filled out an application.  Aside from the few gifted Magnets, there is no difference between Magnet pupils and regular pupils. 

Why are the Magnet schools more successful than regular or charter schools?
1.  Smaller schools 2.  Smaller class sizes 3.  Magnet coordinator 4.  Diverse classes 5.  Additional funds to provide learning experiences 6.  More teachers freedom

Comment by J. Nelly on 7/28/11 at 10:41 am

J Nelly;
I wonder how long it was going to be till someone mentions funding. We spend more per pupil than other places, and the results don’t show it.

I did not say anything derogative about teachers. Some work really hard. The Magnet teachers are lucky, their students, whether parents filled the application or not, want to be there, and are eager to learn or do projects, (I have personal experience), where as SOME of the regular classes, as my friend who is a teacher in a regular class, says no matter how creative the teacher wants to get, disruptive kids make it hard to accomplish that.
continue.

Comment by Bill on 7/28/11 at 11:10 am

Lots of things like lack of parent involvement, parent supervision, parent/teacher coordination, can not be fixed with “extra funding”.

Comment by Bill on 7/28/11 at 11:11 am

I have been both a Magnet and regular school teacher in similar socioeconomic environments but different schools. I find the disruptive students are in both types of schools equally.  Until there are teeth in the discipline policies of LAUSD schools, nobody can learn.  In every classroom, there are averages of five disruptive students who impede the learning opportunities of the other students.  Until we hold back failing students, usually the disruptive ones, it will not change.

Comment by Incredulous on 7/28/11 at 12:04 pm

Put an end to the permit system, and only allow proven school districts, even private secular ones, to have the Charter schools.  Then they can also use their own property and own system of discipline.  They don’t accept the disruptive students, so the magnification of disruptive students is huge in regular public schools. I have even had a parent tell me “you can fail my son if you want to, they will graduate him anyway”.  Thanks for the parental support…not mentioned in this forum, but a huge necessity.

Comment by Incredulous on 7/28/11 at 12:04 pm

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