Something unusual happened at the most recent Los Angeles school board meeting. Even before newly elected Monica Ratliff was sworn in, the pro-privatization majority was in retreat.
Here is a fascinating account of the background and context:
So glad you are reporting this. I only wish that Zimmer had gone ever further on the class size issue and had reminded everyone that LAUSD has the largest numbers of charter schools. Every time a start up charter or independent conversion charter gets approved, money gets taken out of LAUSD’s budget. This has been brought up time after time, and even the budget director mentioned it at a recent meeting. So, it begs the question as to who Galatzan and Garcia are really supporting? Who is more important to them, charter schools or the vast majority of students in traditional schools?
I think the answer is obvious. After all, where does the big money come from when it comes time to collect campaign funds? The list of funders from Garcia’s recent board race reads like a who’s-who list of charter friendly corporations and charter operators.
Below is a paragraph from a recent IG report on how special education funding is negatively impacting LAUSD and thus contributing to class size increases. This happens because charter schools have a much lower percentage of special ed students and for those they do enroll, most have the least severe disabilities.
Click to access 13497FUNDINGSPECIAL%20EDUCATION%20PROGRAM.PDF
“An increasing number of charter schools is eroding the District’s ADA base for special education funding. The California funding system for special education is based on Census-Based funding model that funds special education programs based on school’s Average Daily Attendance (ADA) numbers. The establishment of charter schools takes away ADA numbers from the District resulting in less funding for the District’s special education program.”
Another item not discussed anywhere was the denial of a charter school.
From the LA Times:
“The board also voted to reject a bid from an independently operated charter school to remain open. Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory High School had sought a second, five-year charter, as well as permission to expand to offer a kindergarten-through-12th-grade program.”
This charter has two schools. The last time one of their schools came up for renewal, denial was also recommended. But, Garcia convinced her buddies on the board to overturn the charter division’s recommendation. After the vote, she got out of her chair and went into the street to celebrate with the head of the school, leaving behind her duties and missing out on voting on other issues.
This time, things were different. While the school was allowed to present their reasons for overturning the denial, when the board was asked to vote, NONE of the board members said a word. There was NO discussion…..ZERO!!! The vote was taken immediately and it was 6-1 in support of the denial. Of course, Garcia voted to overturn.
I suspect that this silence was pre-determined decision by the board. Perhaps it was because of the horrific report from the Inspector General’s office:
Click to access 12492ACADEMIA%20SEMILLAS%20CHARTER%20SCHOOL.PDF
The report above clearly states that, when an audit was requested, the school repeatedly refused to turnover any records. Perhaps the head of the school felt he had Garcia’s back and that, like before, the board’s charter friendly majority would ignore this “minor” problem. But not this time. Perhaps the board did not want an open discussion during which it may have been revealed that the board has been complicit in rubber stamping a charter that so blatantly disregards the rules.
Bottom line….the charter friendly board members took a major hit on Tuesday. Actions and statements by Garcia and Galatzan received numerous negative responses from the audience. Most certainly, this was only a precursor of what is to come.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Board member Tamar Galatzan demonstrated her true intentions when she ran for city council not long after being elected to the school board. She was defeated, so she remained with the board. Board member Martinez chose not to run for re-election this time around for the same reason. At least she had the courtesy to complete her term on the board.
Galatzan faces an unsure future now that Los Angeles has a new mayor, one who seems much less interested in getting involved in our schools in the same way as Villaraigosa. Last, Monica Garcia will no longer be president of the school board. Why is that? It’s because of a new resolution that limits the terms to two.
Finally, add to that the election of Monica Ratliff, and we may indeed see a changed landscape in education in this city.
I spent about 30 years as an active member of the government auditing community. People often don’t realize what a powerful force for honest, competent government auditors can be. I note, with concern, that the two signatories to the audit report are both interim. The board has a big decision coming when it appoints people to these positions. Your friends who support public education should be thinking and planning for this. The “reformers” will be. I assume the two interim auditors will have a tough time getting the appointment after issuing this report.
Mark,
Whenever there’s a scandal with charter schools caused by little of no oversight
—financial impropriieties,
—nepotistic hiring of family and friends,
—contracting with companies owned by the charter company,
—corrupt admission policies,
—corrupt admission policies,
—cheating/erasing & changing answers on tests
—illegally looking at the standardized tests, then teaching the test before hand
and on and on…
there is first an attempt “rubber stamp” the charter while overlooking these serious problems.
However, even the most pro-charter folks change their tune when the wrong-doing goes public and is so egregious that it can’t be explained away.
Hence, even the vociferously pro-charter Galatzan could not “rubber stamp” this time around with Semillas.
Another thing happens is that the charter folks will then say, “We are as outraged as much as anyone at this… we want these charters shut down just as much as you do… this gives charters a bad name and hurts the charter movement… blah-blah-blah… ‘
However, these comments are ultimately hollow, toothless protestations because whenever anyone on a school board, or in any elected office, tries to impose regulations and oversight THAT WOULD PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE, THAT WOULD INSTALL SAFEGUARDS, THAT WOULD IMPOSE PENALTIES DISSUADING CORRUPTION…
those same “we-are-outraged-as-much-as-anyone” charter shills scream bloody murder about how “evil defenders of a failed status quo are out to get us”… and how you can’t have any regulation because “it is necessary for us to have freedom from the crippling bureacracy”.. and “we need to be left alone and let us innovate… ”
and “let the invisible hand of the free market decide… ”
The problem is that, by the time it’s discovered that these charters are corrupt, hundreds of millions of tax-payer dollars are GONE, GONE, GONE… and some of the kids have been given a substandard education in the process.
Case-in-point, last September. In response to charter school scandals, Steve Zimmer wanted to add some regulations to charter oversight, and pause—NOT STOP—the charter authorization process. Well, out came the long knives for Steve… and the charter-funded astroturf organizations bombarded the LAUSD board with calls and emails from “parents” demanding that Zimmer not take away their “choice”… yeah right… and causing the vote to fail.
(Kate Anderson, Zimmer’s opponent, actually tried to use this against him???… well, we all saw how well that worked for her.)
They bus in parents of charter school parents—who are compensated because their presence at protests counts as their required “volunteering” requirements—to pump their fists, wear the fresh T-shirts just pulled out of boxes, and in an orchestrated pseudo-rally, chant, “We need choice! We need choice! Let us keep our choice!”
That action must have had an effect on the Semillas bunch when Inspector General’s office requested documents for an audit.
I really hope you’re right. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this public board of edu cation is destroying the very thing it’s mandated to protect, public education.Creating all these charters, that are not subjected to the same amount of scrutiny as public schools is suicide. As far as special Ed, you’re entirely right, the push to combine special Ed and general Ed in Lausd is entirely to save money. The least restrictive environment arguement is a rouse for this money grab from special Ed. The real test if it is still on the table is will class size be lowered. If this board supports class size reduction in the new school year, a major step to heal the assault on public schools will be taken.
Concerning charter schools read the latest DOE OIG report on the total lack of accountability of charter schools in Florida, Arizona and California with LAUSD being a named district in the report. The report is ED-OIG/A01L0002. Monica Garcia is as phony and bought and sold as they get. She is now out of power forever more.
I was the first speaker on the issue of that charter school shut down. They are selling TRANS which are Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes or borrowing against future revenue. That charter schools is way in the red and getting worse, losing ADA and revenue and borrowing against false ADA. It is on a one way ticket to hell. Garcia saved PLAS which has a worse performance record and financial record than this school and they are all in Garcia’s board area and all run by her friends at PLAS which are Villaraigosa’s schools and are not controlled by the mayors office so all please do not blame the new mayor Garcetti for any of this as he has no control of any of PLAS. Go look at the Board of Directors of PLAS. Garcia is now just another board member and has no real power anymore.
In the 2012-13 budget LAUSD states that special education is only 4.7% of the student population. The national average is 12-13%. CDE states the California level is 10% which means they have instituted a lot of RTI to rob the money for general funds. I called the Chanda Smith Federal Court Monitor Fred and he told me the special ed in LAUSD is 11.47% which is correct. I then asked him what was the source of his information and he told me the district data base. I then asked how can from the same data base can you have 4.7% and 11.47% and he did not know. I then asked if he knew that 24% of all district revenue was from Federal and State catagorical special education funding and he did not know. This was presented to the head of special ed at the CDE and he flipped out. It was presented to the State Board of Ed and it caused a furor we found out later as it should. Why should you believe the LAUSD OIG when from the first OIG it has been perverted and myself and another friend are the reason that the LAUSDPD, OIG and Environmental Health and Safety are still at the district when we fought Roy Romer for three years on this and he finally gave up. Go see who the present OIG is and what they used to do. Always check things out.
In the present 2013-14 budget there is not one line item on special education or title 1. I know budgets. In the 2010-11 budget the ADA is 74,000 different from that information in the CDE website. In the present budget the numbers are correct with the CDE numbers. Sorry, it is too late to clean up for someone who knows. When the numbers are 1,000 different that is 1-600 or 700 no big deal but 10+% no way.
LAUSD including the OIG’s office is a RICO criminal organization and that is all there is too is as is D.C., N.Y., Chicago, Philadelphia et al.
I’m a little confused with all these conflicting data,Bottom line, charters are not being scrutinized or closed, public schools are,special Ed pop in Lausd is decreasing but not at the rate the general Ed pop is and therefore a larger share of the general Ed fund will have to be spent on special Ed. Hence, combining of special Ed programs with general Ed ones. Does this sound right?