In an earlier post, I referred to the long-running saga in Los Angeles as a soap opera. Well, friends, it is time for another installment. Howard Blume writes in the Los Angeles Times that Superintendent John Deasy has joined litigation against the state that puts him at odds with the board that he works for. This is a situation that Deasy relishes. Blume writes: “The goal of the litigation is to compel the state to eliminate non-academic periods that have hindered students from fulfilling graduation and college requirements. Those periods include “service classes,” which involve answering the phones and running errands, and “home periods,” during which unsupervised students are allowed to leave campus. “The ‘classes’ are not designed to deliver real instruction or learning opportunities to students, but rather are no more than fillers to plug gaps where no genuine courses are readily available,” Deasy wrote. He asked the judge in the case to halt these “outrageous” practices at L.A. Unified and other districts. “I can’t think of a better gift to give this school district than to expose this indefensible practice that is antithetical to learning.” “In an interview with The Times on Monday, Deasy called his declaration a matter of conscience. “Although it is not unusual for superintendents to support student causes, Deasy has aligned himself with critics of the district he runs — on matters that he has the power to influence. “I hope our superintendent would remedy untenable situations within his direct control immediately,” said school board member Monica Ratliff. “A senior state official also questioned why Deasy didn’t remedy the problem on his own campuses. “It certainly is befuddling that he would encourage the state to fix a problem that is within his authority to fix,” said Richard Zeiger, the state’s chief deputy schools superintendent. “If he doesn’t like these classes, he doesn’t have to have them. He and the school board can work this out.” The board is supposed to evaluate Deasy’s job performance by October 21. Deasy seems to be picking a fight with the board or trying to demonstrate yet again that he is not accountable to the board. Whenever Deasy thumbs his nose at the board, he says he is doing it to defend the civil rights of students, implying that he cares more about students than the board does. Blume writes: “The superintendent has talked of possibly leaving the job; a majority of board members voted in closed session last week to begin negotiations over a possible departure agreement. “An ongoing point of dispute is whether Deasy follows the direction of the board — an issue that also came up this year in a lawsuit over teacher job protections. Deasy became a star witness in that litigation, which eventually overturned laws that made it more difficult to fire teachers. Deasy never sought board guidance or assent for his participation. He characterized his involvement as fighting on behalf of student civil rights….. “He’s entitled to his opinions,” said school board member George McKenna. “But if he testifies and it doesn’t represent the board, it would be a concern. Any superintendent should be working on behalf of the district and be working at the direction of the board.” “McKenna, a former principal, said that in certain situations, for example, a student who works in the school’s office can learn responsibility and skills that could help land a job. Deasy’s declaration lacked that nuance, McKenna said.”
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 08:36:37 +0000
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