Change The LAUSD

"While the race may represent a proxy war between charters and traditional schools nationally, there are real issues at stake if the balance of power is tipped on the board. Sources tell Capital & Main that teachers’ gains from 2019 could be on the chopping block. Heilig said there would be more co-location of charter and traditional schools if the board majority is pro-charter. District 3 parent and blogger Carl Petersen said he doesn’t think that a larger percentage of charter schools would be approved if the board tilts toward charter forces because 'barely any are rejected' now.

'The bigger problem is that there will be even less oversight of schools that are already operating,' Petersen said."

Read the full article in Capital & Main.

"Just so has Marilyn Koziatek – or the independent expenditure committee (IEC) from which she proudly accepts endorsement of her West San Fernando Valley campaign for school board in the LAUSD3 board district – swerved from insinuation of responsibility for scandals that occurred before his tenure, to antisemitism to anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice bigotry."

Read the full article in the Los Angeles Education Examiner.

California: Palisades Charter High School, which double-dipped into the government trough to supplement the money they are diverting from public schools with funds from this PPP program, let go of essential staff. “Ignoring the reason for their $4,606,000 windfall, the governing board of Pali voted this month to lay off five members of their staff and reduce the hours for 18 other employees. Even as students throughout the country struggle to transition to distance learning, these cuts included an IT Tech assigned to helping parents, students and teachers navigate the technology needed in this new learning environment. They also eliminated a Tutoring Center Coordinator whom a member of the public and a board member credited with ‘helping hundreds of kids pass classes and graduate from Pali during e-learning.’ A Library Media Technician, Copy Clerk, and Office Assistant will also join the unemployment line in 60 days.”

Read the complete report on the In The Public Interest website.

Palisades Charter High School, in swanky Pacific Palisades, California, also took money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). “Since the government funds its operations, Palisades Charter High School’s revenue has not been affected by Covid-19. The school is also supposed to operate as a non-profit, not a business. Still, the school’s Chief Business Officer, Greg Wood, applied for a $4.606 million dollar loan from the PPP. He did so without receiving prior approval from the school’s governing board.”

Read the complete report on the In The Public Interest website.

"Parent advocate Carl J. Petersen writes that the election for the Los Angeles Unified School District school board is already flooded with charter school lies."

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

California: Carl Petersen has penned an interesting report on what’s become of El Camino Real High School after it was privatized under a law created to allow parents to privatize “underperforming” schools. He ties the history to upcoming school board elections. “As voters in LAUSD’s Board District 3 get set to choose between a life-long educator and a charter school employee, this lack of accountability should be at the forefront of the discussion. Incumbent Scott Schmerelson has a proven track record of supporting successful charter schools while holding these publicly funded private schools accountable when they break the rules. The challenger, Marilyn Koziatek, works for Granada Hills Charter, which is also a conversion charter that had an excellent record as an LAUSD school. Instead of looking out for stakeholders, her record shows that she is willing to keep violations hidden from parents. Koziatek’s elevation to the board would guarantee that betrayals of the public trust would continue unabated.”

Read the complete report on the In The Public Interest website.

Ravitch writes: "Carl J. Petersen is a parent in Los Angeles. He is supporting Scott Schmerelson for re-election to the LAUSD school board because of his experience with Scott’s opponent, who works for a charter school."

"Carl J. Petersen, a parent advocate for students with special needs in the public schools of Los Angeles, wrote here about the failure of the LAUSD school board to monitor graft in the charter sector.

He writes about the deliberate negligence of board members supported by the charter industry:"

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

"Carl J. Petersen, writer and public school parent in Los Angeles, writes here about a Los Angeles charter schools that took millions from the federal Paycheck Protection Plan, then laid off employees anyway.

The purpose of PPP was to help small businesses and to ensure that they did not fire employees because they couldn’t afford to pay them. But charter schools, which had suffered no economic harm, cashed in on the program…because they could.

Petersen writes:"

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

"What makes Palisades special is that we have video of their board discussing the issues of accepting the loan. (A hat tip to Carl Petersen, who has been watching these folks for a while.)"

Read the full article on Curmudgucation.