Change The LAUSD

"The Los Angeles school board selected an unqualified person to lead its schools. The decision was made in secret, with no public input.

Carl Petersen points out that state law requires that Superintendents must have experience as teachers and administrators. There is provision for a waiver. Is the superintendent is unqualified, like Austin Beutner, he may be required to take an in-service training program.

35028.
No person shall be eligible to hold a position as city superintendent, district superintendent, deputy superintendent, associate superintendent, or assistant superintendent of schools unless he is the holder of both a valid school administration certificate and a valid teacher’s certificate, but any person employed as a deputy, associate, or assistant superintendent in a purely clerical capacity shall not be required to hold any certificate.
(Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)"

Read the article HERE

"The recent defeat of legislation that would make charter schools accountable and transparent, AB 1478, established definitively that charter schools are private businesses, not public schools.

All public schools must comply with the Brown Act, the California Public Records Act (PRA), or the Political Reform Act of 1974, which make their spending and operations transparent to the public. The charter lobby insists that there are merely bureaucratic burdens and that charters must be free to operate without any public transparency, as private businesses do.

Carl Petersen writes about this issue here."

"Carl J. Petersen was a candidate in the 2017 LAUSD District 2 board election. He became a public education activist while fighting for his two daughters who are on the autism spectrum. Petersen had this to say about the influence of CCSA in Los Angeles:

The California Charter School Association (CCSA) and their allies poured nearly $2.3 million into last year’s LAUSD election, helping to make them the nation’s most expensive school board election. Given this influence, is it any surprise that the LAUSD Charter School Division, which is responsible for overseeing the largest charter system in the country, is headed by a former staff member of the CCSA or that the District has only revoked one charter in the past three years?"

"Walker isn't the only parent to raise a complaint about iGranada. At least nine parents have sought the help of the officials at the L.A. Unified School District who oversee and regulate charter schools, saying their children deserve access to Granada's traditional, brick-and-mortar classes, according to emails obtained via public records request and provided to KPCC by local public education activist Carl Petersen (who's long been a thorn in Granada's side).

'They look at themselves as a private school,' Petersen said of Granada. 'We don’t care that we get public money, we're going to do it our way.'"

At its meeting on November 7, the LAUSD board showed who is boss: the California Charter Schools Association.

Carl J. Petersen reports here on the meeting.

"Carl Petersen, who ran unsuccessfully against García in last spring’s election, spoke about how the allegations against Rodriguez were known and the board should have vetted him better before making him president.

'Do not make the same mistake, Mónica García is his political ally,' Petersen said. 'This is not children first.'"

My exact comments before the Board can be found at:

"Carl Petersen, who still [has] three children in LAUSD, speaks to LAUSD board before they chose Monica Garcia to replace Ref Rodriguez as president on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Ref Rodriguez gave up that position last week after conspiracy charges were filed against him related to financing for his 2015 campaign for school board seat. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)"

"ICEF charter renewals

Four independent charter schools run by the Inner City Educational Foundation Public Schools were approved for their five-year renewal, but a few board members were still concerned about low test scores at the schools, and a lack of a plan to help English learners. The ICEF prompted board member George McKenna to read a commentary about not renewing under-performing charter schools.

Board member Richard Vladovic noted that some of the redesignation of English learner students was below the district’s level, and said it was unacceptable. Board member Kelly Gonez noted that the students showed some improvements overall, and board member Monica Garcia said the schools have made great strides.

But parent and former candidate for school board Carl Petersen said that the ICEF schools have failed in their mission and have a high suspension rate and lack enough behavioral support.

"Other interesting notes about the new board:

• Two board members, García and Schmerelson, ran against the same candidate, Carl Petersen, in the past. Petersen ended up supporting and campaigning with Schmerelson against Tamar Galatzan in 2015."

I always enjoyed July 4 as a day to celebrate our nation and to honor its heroes.

With an ignorant bully in the White House, it is hard to feel good about what is happening today. Trump seems eager to demolish the First Amendment and that’s bad for our nation and our future. He wants to remove environmental protection and allow the pillaging of our air, water, and lands. He wants to defund every social program that protects those who are in need while giving the military more money than it asked for.

But enough complaining! It is what it is!

Today I want to celebrate the everyday heroes across the nation who are fighting to protect public education against privatization.

I won’t remember all of them and I don’t know all of them, so I invite you to add the names of people you know in your district or state who are fighting to keep public schools public.

Today I honor the following...

Carl Petersen, Robert Skeels, Karen Wolfe, Ellen Lubic, Scott Schmerson, and all the other parents and educators in Los Angeles who keep hope alive for the survival of public schools in that billionaire-ridden city;