Change The LAUSD

"Now the rest of the news…

'Enabling Theft and Fraud' in Los Angeles. Carl Petersen documents how the Los Angeles Unified School District continues to take away building space from public school students to give to charter schools, with past-due bills totaling $1.9 million. Medium

'Charter Schools Invaded Our Neighborhoods Without Public Input.' A group of parents, teachers, and educators in East Los Angeles detail how their neighborhoods have become saturated with charter schools to the detriment of public schools. Age of Awareness" 

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

"Emiliana Dore wrote a powerful article at Medium about the importance of public schools and why charter schools do not promote racial or social justice. Her article was posted by Carl J. Petersen, a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.

Dore, a public school parent and advocate, wrote in response to an article at The 74 contending that charter schools were models for teaching kindness and anti-racism. Dore strongly disagreed."

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

The article that initiated this conversation can be found on Medium.

"Parent advocate Carl J. Petersen writes here about a charter school in Los Angeles that figured out to game the system for more money and space.

He writes that “Citizens of the World” collects signatures of parents who are not likely to apply for the school and uses them as expressions of intent to enroll."

Read the article on Diane Ravitch's Blog.

"On the docket (tab 6) for discussion and for waivers of important public-interest oversight mechanisms, is the sale of LAUSD’s central administrative headquarters downtown. Known eponymously for its location at 333 S. Beaudry Ave, 'Beaudry' is a building with a history of construction defects and shady real estate deals. LAUSD purchased the building in 2001 under circumstances so fraught as to attract investigation by then-District Attorney Cooley. And in 2017 District staff found 'there would be no financial benefit to selling the…building at this time.'"

Read the full article in the Los Angeles Education Examiner.

"California: Carl Petersen asks “What Does Granada Charter High School Not Want You To Know?” in his look at an LAUSD school board race." 

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

DISTRICT 7

LEARN MORE*

• This Might End Up Being The Most Expensive LAUSD School Board Primary Ever (LAist)
• What Is A Charter School, Exactly? A Field Guide (LAist)
• LAUSD District 7's Open Seat (Medium/Carl Petersen)

DISTRICT 3

LEARN MORE*

• This Might End Up Being The Most Expensive LAUSD School Board Primary Ever (LAist)
• Those Nasty LAUSD School Board Campaign Ads: What's Fact? What's Opinion? (LAist)
• What Is A Charter School, Exactly? A Field Guide (LAist)
• LAUSD BD3 Candidate Marilyn Koziatek: Parents 'want a voice and a seat at the table' (Speak Up)
• LAUSD Candidate Profile: Scott Schmerelson (Patch/Carl Petersen)

Read the full article on LAist.

"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.