Change The LAUSD

C.P. in Los Angeles, CA, writes: You wrote: "A Wisconsin attempt to recall several school board members in the Milwaukee suburb of Mequon-Thiensville got national attention and featured over $50,000 in spending (an insane amount for a school board race of any sort)."

In Los Angeles, $50k is chump change. In 2017, I spent $3,114.30 in my campaign for a school district seat. The other challenger spent $12,302.00. $622,536.89 was spent in support of the incumbent.

In last year's school board race, $17,820,970.08 was spent on four races. The biggest spenders were the charter school industry looking to reduce oversight.

Read the full column at Electoral-Vote.com.

"Carl J. Petersen keeps a close eye on Los Angeles schools. Here he offers a reminder that charter schools don’t have to follow the same safety rules as public schools–and they fight to keep it that way. Reposted with permission."

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.

"The collapse of a publicly-funded Los Angeles charter school brings charges that charter regulators are not doing their job. Writing in Patch, Carl J. Petersen, says “the next challenge for these parents will be to find a new school for their children as the Public Policy Charter ‘school is being closed [on] October 1.’ As a publicly funded agency that is subject to California’s Brown Act, the governing board’s decision to cease operations should have been made in a properly noticed meeting that was open to the public. However, no mention of a possible closure is included in the agenda for the meeting held on September 7, 2021. Instead, parents were informed by a robocall after they had dropped off their children for school." 

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

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(9/21/21) One of our readers sent in a couple of construction pictures from Six Flags Magic Mountain. Mostly demolition and clearing taking place right now, while we wait for the park to still announce and confirm their 2022 new coaster project. (Photo Credit to Carl J. Petersen)."

Read all of the updates in Screamscape.

C.P. in Los Angeles, CA, writes: While I agree that there is plenty of blame to go around, I think that you underestimated the amount of blame that should be assessed to George W. Bush. What was left out of your summary was the unnecessary incursion into Iraq. There was no immediate threat coming from this country and we should have kept our focus on Afghanistan. Had we concentrated on this effort at the earliest stages of nation-building, perhaps we could have built a more stable foundation.

I also wonder if 5% is too little an apportionment for Biden, if only because he had a seat at Barack Obama's table and should also be held responsible for those 8 years.

The question then becomes where to offset the blame. I would lean toward the U.S. military leadership, if only because the buck is supposed to stop with the Commander-In-Chief.

Read the full column at Electoral-Vote.com.

"Carl J. Petersen covers education shenanigans in the Los Angeles area. Here he shows how one charter school ignored its own charter to prey on a public elementary school. Reposted with permission. Reposted with permission."

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.

"Carl J. Petersen is a parent and student advocate in Los Angeles. This recent post shows how the Citizens of the World charter ended up hurting the students it set out to save. Reposted with permission."

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.

No Charter School Reform or Taxpayer Protection

"When San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan brought down the $50 million A-3 charter scam, she noted, “People v. McManus revealed many weaknesses in the State’s education system in the areas of fraud enforcement, student data tracking, auditing, school finance, and oversight of charter schools.”

To address these weaknesses Assembly Members Daniel O’Donnell, Cristina Garcia, and Kevin McCarty introduced AB1316. The California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) expressed strong opposition to the bill.  As education writer Carl Petersen observed, “Unfortunately, AB1316 was placed in the inactive file by a political system unwilling to risk the wrath of the California Charter School Association.”

This year is turning into a very bad year for public education in California. Neoliberal Democrats and the CCSA are having their way."

Read the entire article on Tultican.

"How we’re fighting back

Still fighting for their public school. Los Angeles parents, students, teachers, and other community members are protesting after Citizens of the World (COTW) charter schools used the California law known as Prop-39 to take space from Shirley Avenue Elementary School campus. Patch.com" 

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

"Carl J. Petersen keeps an eye on Los Angeles. In this piece, he reports Girls Athletic Leadership charter school (GALS) will squeeze their new campus onto a 1.2-acre site in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Reposted with permission."

The NPE Blogs of the Day feature what the NPE editors think are interesting and important blog posts centered on issues of public education.