“Financial records obtained by The Times show that, as Celerity’s CEO, [Vielka McFarlane] paid for many of these expenses with a credit card belonging to her charter schools, which receive the bulk of their funding from the state.”

- Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2017

 When the LAUSD denied two Celerity charter renewals in October LAUSD Charter School Division (CSD) Director José Cole-Gutiérrez was quoted as saying that they had “severe concerns with regard to their lack of transparency. We are not even clear who the board members are.” Since then, the FBI and other federal agents have raided the offices of Celerity Educational Group “collecting laptops and copying data from computers”.  The Los Angeles Times has also written two exposés on the publicly funded private schools that included charges that Celerity provided “few school supplies but [held] a lavish party” and the CEO, who was paid $471,842, paid for extravagant “expenses with a credit card belonging to her charter schools”. All this was not enough to stop the District from offering Celerity co-location space at Arminta Street Elementary School under Proposition 39.

Tuesday is Election Day!
The charters are spending millions to buy control of the LAUSD.
Your vote can stop them.

CLICK HERE to find your polling place.

“ASB funds can never be used to loan money to any group or individual”

- GHCHS’ ASB Handbook

As quoted by the LAUSD Charter School Division

Although parents were never notified, the LAUSD’s Charter School Division (CSD) issued a Notice to Cure to Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) on September 21, 2016. This notice that specified “Immediate Action Required” was issued as a direct result of my investigation that found that the charter’s administration was improperly using “funds of a student body organization” for their payroll obligations. These funds were raised by the student body, are owned by the students of the school and are required to be under the direct control of the Associated Student Body (ASB) council. The law specifically prohibits these funds from being used to pay for items, like payroll, that are supposed to be paid for by the school.

“Carpetbagger: A person from the northern states who went to the South after the Civil War to profit from the Reconstruction.”

If the picture on the front of the latest Monica Garcia flyer to hit your mailbox looks familiar, it is because it was the same one that the California Charter School Association (CCSA) used in its unethical campaign against Bennett Kayser. However, this time instead of falsely accusing Kayser of trying to stop Latino children from attending schools in white neighborhoods, they are claiming that “every child deserves the same level of educational funding no matter who they are or where they live.” (emphasis mine) This is just the latest example of how the CCSA and their pawn Garcia really do not care about reducing the achievement gap for the students of District 2.

In order for children on the autism spectrum to reach their full potential, parents and teachers must work closely together to tailor an educational program that meets each child’s unique needs. For those with mild to severe disabilities, the law specifies that the procedures used be formalized in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). A well executed IEP meeting is a collaborative effort between parents and the team involved in the child’s education.

Faced with two daughters who had stalled in their progress, my wife and I prepared ourselves for a new round of IEPs. Both meetings started well, with the other participants either agreeing with our assessments or providing suggestions that built upon our ideas. However, in the end, they refused to write these into the IEPs. In each case, we were pulled aside by someone who risked their employment with the LAUSD to explain that the District that would not allow them to include what we all agreed was the best course of action.

Please list your top 4 priorities for the elective office you are seeking.

1. “Increase graduation
2. Increase 3rd grade reading
3. Reduce suspensions
4. Reduce drop-outs”

- Monica Garcia

There are many challenges facing the LAUSD. As an example, just last month the District warned state and county officials that it “may not be able to meet its financial obligations in upcoming years because it faces a cumulative deficit of $1.46 billion through the 2018-2019 school year.” It is also fighting a $1 billion lawsuit filed by Mark Geragos against the LAUSD on behalf of teachers who were victimized by the District’s Teacher Jail program. Parents of children with moderate to severe special education needs are also suing the District in an effort to keep special education centers open. Most concerning, incumbent Board member Monica Garcia states that “most of our kids, all of our kids can’t read.”