Comments on: Court Swings At Antonio, Slugs Kids Instead

By: tips

tips — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:35:25 +0000

I think that your site is very interesting and nice. Good job !

By: Woody

Woody — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:56:00 +0000

rlc, Dewey was a prolific writer. Am I supposed to read everything he wrote and everything about him to make a side comment? Have you ever flown into space to see if you’re weightless or did you learn that from someone else? Don’t be so stupid as to say that someone can’t have an opinion unless they meet some high research standard that most teachers don’t even meet.

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:13:08 +0000

But have you read Dewey? I thought not.

By: Woody

Woody — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:00:16 +0000

Here’s a book on the subject, although not the only one.

John Dewey and the Decline of American Education
How the Patron Saint of Schools has Corrupted Teaching and Learning
By Henry T. Edmondson III

By: Woody

Woody — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:00:16 +0000

Yes, but that’s a whole different and lengthy discussion.

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 02:53:04 +0000

Woody do you even know what John Dewey said on schools?

By: Woody

Woody — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 02:28:01 +0000

Celeste, I throw in comments about liberal/conservative differences in solutions to problems, but I understand now that this goes beyond that. I have been frustrated with our educational system for decades, and I have been vocal about that. No one in education leadership wants to accept needed solutions and instead wants to simply throw more money for new approaches rather than fixing traditional methods, including those that existed before John Dewey redirected our schools. I hold out absolutely no hope for the public school system.

By: Pokey

Pokey — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:01:03 +0000

DEMOCRATS wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t breakup LAUSD
The LAUSD school breakup bill, AB 2071, died in the Assembly Education Committee April 26, 2006 on a party-line vote, 3-7. The Assembly bill was opposed by all the major teachers unions in the LAUSD, and the district itself, and was trounced.
Although past proposals to break up LAUSD have earned public support, the district and Union have opposed these reorganizations, placing their own interests above the studentsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ educational needs.
Unfunded $10 billion Liability
Currently LAUSD spends $2100 per student (20% budget) to cover health care costs for retirees and current employees. “In the corporate world, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d go to jail for this”.
http://www.standup4cc.com/GASB/06-03-02_runaway_benefits.html

40,000 Kids Drop Out each year
Every year 40,000 LAUSD students enter ninth-grade each year but do not graduate four years later.

We SHOULD NOT allow LAUSD to continue down this path to abject failure and we must make MAJOR meaningful changes that will increase accountability and parental involvement in our schools.

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:29:51 +0000

Unfortunately there is a “Turf” battle going on here between the Black community and the Latinos who are now becoming so powerful in South LA. This worries the old leadership. Not that many of them either supported or were silent on Prop 187. And the Black precincts joined with the valley in voting for it. During the Janiot strike African Americans were noticiably cool to the struggle as Earl Ofari Hutchison noted at the time. The Black leadership feels threatened and are afraid that they will lose “Their” Schools as they they fear the “Loss” of King-Drew. And too many Latinos also see this as a turf struggle. Look at the grief over the firing of the Latino Super who couldn’t even get books to the classroom!

As I said Antonio has to step up to the plate. If he wants to go higher he has to show he can get things done. And by bringing the people with him. Its not enough to cut backroom deals in Sacramento with Fabian and the Boys (and Girls) of the Legislature. I think you’re right. The DCA gave him the roadmap. Now its up to him!

By: Celeste Fremon

Celeste Fremon — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:47:48 +0000

Well said, Joe and Richard. Agreed, agreed, and agreed.

(Hi Marc!)

Hey, Woody, I understand and share your fury—although, in LA this is not an issue that breaks down along liberal/conservative lines. For instance, with this recent school control issue, our dem/progressive mayor aligned with our repub/biz-leaning former mayor to try to make it happen.

By the same token, when Steve Barr, the city’s charter school star (and a Jerry Brown protege), was pushing his own small schools initiative, he worked with Dan Shnur, McCain’s former campaign guy. It’s not about left/right. It’s actually far more irritating than that.

In terms of amending the city charter, in yesterday’s press conference AV said that he thought just amending the charter wasn’t enough, that he’d also have to go after a change to the state’s constitution, which is a $40 mil campaign. (LA Times’ Howard Blume went to the press conference, and I didn’t, so I got that from his and Joel Rubin’s piece. )

But in rereading what the court said, I think Antonio’s mistaken. To wit:

“The citizens of Los Angeles have the constitutional right to decide whether their school board is to be appointed or elected. If the citizens of Los Angeles choose to amend their charter to allow the mayor to appoint the members of the board, such amendment would indisputably be proper. What is not permissible is for the Legislature to ignore that constitutional right and to bypass the will of the citizens of Los Angeles and effectively transfer many of [the] powers of the board to the mayor, based on its belief, hope or assumption that he could do a better job.”

I think that in a charter reform bid, which is indeed what’s needed, although I don’t know if AV has the ganas for it, it will be folks like Barr and his LA parent union, that could make a huge difference. But, in addition to all that you mention, Richard, it would take an outreach to the African America community that, thus far, AV has been unable to accomplish. His staff seems to get it intellectually, but in a practical, functional sense—not so much.