Carl J. Petersen: Public School Allies Retake Control of the Los Angeles School Board
"Carl J. Petersen, parent advocate and blogger in Los Angeles, writes here about the long, hard struggle to wrest control of the Los Angeles Unified School District school board from the hands of the billionaires.
Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg, Reed Hastings, and other billionaires have funded the campaigns of charter advocates. The billionaires spent many millions to gain control, only to see one member of their slim majority—Ref Rodriguez— indicted for campaign finance violations. Even after his indictment, however, he refused to step down for nearly a year until after the board had chosen businessman Austin Beutner as superintendent.
But everything changed after the election of Jackie Goldberg, who won Rodriguez’s seat.
Read this great story."
The Country's Second Largest School District Enters a New Era
The charter industry loses its grip on the LAUSD School Board’s Presidency. Is the oversight of Superintendent Austin Beutner next?
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Who is Choosing Who? A Charter School Places Barriers to Entry
Granada Hills Charter High School not only requires incoming students to attend a summer program, but they also make it as inconvenient as possible for incoming students and their families.
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Bernie Sanders Takes a Sledgehammer to Student Debt
While Bernie Sanders' plan would eliminate all student debt, is this really the fairest way to address a $1.6 trillion problem?
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School Board Member Strikes Out in Attempt to Change Board Rules
For the third time, Nick Melvoin is unable to get his fellow LAUSD board members to vote on a project that he has been working on for over two years.
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The Death of Community?
Is there any hope for the future of the country when we have lost the ability to empathize with our neighbors?
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The High Cost of the Trump Presidency
America was already bitterly divided when Trump became the 45th occupant of the Oval Office. Then he threw kerosene on the fire.
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A Father, a Son, and the Next Generation
For 19 years I was lucky enough to celebrate Father’s Day from both sides of the holiday. Like a lot of things in life, I do not think that I appreciated how special that was until it was gone. I was a bridge between two generations, both shaping the man that I am today. Through that bridge flowed the lessons of the past and the promise of tomorrow.
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Vote on LAUSD Rules Changes Delayed Again
For the second time, Nick Melvoin’s attempts to change the LAUSD Board rules have been pulled from the agenda before a vote could be taken.
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An Ordinary Mom (With a Degree in Astrophysics) Takes On the Status-Quo
Loraine Lundquist’s first-place showing in an LA City Council race was a bright spot in a week that highlighted the new normal that we live in.
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