Yesterday I wrote a post about a decision by the Los Angeles school board to reject Steve Barr’s request to put a “pilot school” in Venice High School. Presumably the rejection was influenced by a massive outpouring of opposition by parents and students. Barr is an entrepreneur, not an educator. He started Green Dot charter schools but resigned over a financial issue involving misuse of school funds.
Thus far, I have had to rely on accounts from local parents about what is happening in Venice because the story has gotten almost no media attention, other than an incomplete blog entry at the Los Angeles Times.
This comment just in on the fate of Venice High School.
The writer says:
“Venice now has to vote on whether the “empty space” will be given over to a charter school or that same pilot school. In essence, they now get to choose their method of execution. Interesting times.”
Notice the choice hat is missing: none of the bone.
This is what corporate reformers mean by choice: You may not choose a community school. You must choose what they give you whether you want it or not. You may not choose to say no.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Oh Sandy! That’s the school where they shot “Grease.” How could this not be a public school?!
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http://www.venicehigh.net/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=300679&id=0
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We need a box that reads: NOMENIF THE ABOVE on our voting ballots!
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Meant: None of the ABOVE. Sorry for the typo error.
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E. J. Montini, a political columnist for the AZ Republic, is beginning to ask the right questions. See http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/ejmontini/2013/03/21/best-friend-of-the-average-billionaire-joe/ Also, yesterdays article talks about ethics and oversight of legislators. In particular, one who is directly involved in charters.
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So true, if you look for any information or stories that support teachers in L.A. Times you’ll never find it. They have been brought by privateers in and out of the district. All their stories support the private model. You’re absolutely right, LAUSD does not support community control and involvement in schools. Choice is a joke. This Deasy character and his stooges on the board who support charter conversions need to get out of our public schools.
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This person has it all wrong. Venice can choose to not have any school on their campus. The vote was specifically to approve the plan but not the location. They gave the Venice community the time to decide as they were not given information on this move until the last moment. This is in contrast to another pilot school, Poly High School, which took 3 years to obtain a 93% approval of their plan. Poly, also improved their API scores from about 455 to about 750 under the present principal as a normal LAUSD school. Now they want to do better with the total community support just the opposite of Venice. Once again, Venice does not have to have another school on their campus. This issue is agenda item 25 on the 3-19-13 board agenda. You can see it on the district website. I was there. There is a video of it. It was live on their T.V. station and will again be played on Sunday for those who would like to watch or for about $20 a video can be bought from LAUSD.
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From the Venice High Website (http://www.venicehigh.net/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=300679&id=0), a message from the principal:
Pilot School Information
Dear Venice High School Community,
I wanted to give you an update to the LAUSD School Board vote regarding the Incubator Pilot School.
The School Board decided yesterday, 3/19/13 to approve the Incubator Pilot School but not the location. The board specified that either Venice High School’s SBM OR SSC vote on whether the Pilot School should be placed on our campus. The alternative is that if Venice denies the Pilot, a charter school would be offered the 14 empty classrooms.
At first, we thought we had until the next time the board meets, which is in April to make a decision.
During a late afternoon, phone conference today, with several central and ESC-W staff members, I was informed that the district has a legal deadline to meet in regards to offering space to a charter school, which is next Friday, March 29, 2013 (when we are on Spring Break). Venice High School therefore has to make a decision by this Friday, March 22 on whether we are approving the Pilot School to co-locate on our campus or not. Again, if we decide not to have the Pilot School co-locate on Venice HS, the empty classrooms will be offered to a charter school.
The Incubator Pilot School Design Team and Sponsors will be here all day tomorrow, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. to facilitate optional informational sessions for teachers and parents during the different periods. They will also speak with the Leadership Class tomorrow. Please feel free to see them and get more information if needed.
I am calling for an emergency SBM and SSC meeting for Friday, March 22, 2013 at 12:40 p.m. Under the Brown Act an emergency meeting can be called with a 24-hour notification. I think it is best that we come together as a big group to hear the same information and then we can break and vote as individual groups. The Incubator Pilot School Design Team will also be available on Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 3 :00 p.m. to provide any additional information. I apologize for the inconvenience but this is truly out of my hands. We have tough decisions to make for the future of Venice High School but I have the confidence in each and every one of you that you will vote with your heart and mind and do what is best of our students.
Please know that I will share any and all information I get regarding the Pilot School in a fast and transparent manner and that might include late night emails. I will also be sending out an automated call to the entire Venice HS community informing them of this change of plans and post information on the website. Again, I thank you for all that you do.
Elsa Mendoza, Ed. D.
Principal
Venice High School
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Also from Venice website:
Automated Call Message sent out on 3/20/13 at 7:15 p.m.
Good Evening Parents,
This is Dr Mendoza, Principal of Venice High School with a few important reminders. First of all tomorrow is parent conference night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., please join us to discuss your son’s or daughter’s academic progress with their teachers.
Also, we are having a STEMM Magnet informational and application workshop at 4:30 p.m. in the student cafeteria and at 5:00 p.m. we are hosting a parent workshop on the on-line grading program many of our teachers use, Jupiter Grades at 5:00 p.m. in Room 12.
Last but not least, I want to inform you that the Incubator Pilot School will be hosting informational sessions all day tomorrow here at Venice HS from 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. in the Student Cafeteria. The LAUSD School Board approved the Pilot school but not their location. I will be calling an emergency SBM and SSC meeting for Friday so that Venice HS can decide whether to co-locate with the Pilot School or choose to offer space to the Westchester Secondary Charter School. More information is available on the school website and SBM and SSC members along with the faculty members have been sent an email with further information.
Thank you and have a good night.
Elsa Mendoza, Ed. D.
Principal
(http://www.venicehigh.net/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=300678&id=0)
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I just saw that and have responded. I was going by what happened at the board meeting on agenda item 25. I was there. Never did this subject come up. This was on purpose. This is what I call a “Sneak Attack.” Been there, done that. Now it is warfare. Do you really think it was an accident that this happened in this manner. They had this in their sack of tricks just in case they lost the agenda item so they could pull another fast one before the public had a chance to think and properly respond. Thanks for bringing this up again. Everyone should pay attention to this as it will be used everywhere when necessary to get their own way.
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1. How did the empty space occur?
2. Agree. Choice is illusionary.
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Hi Diane,
We have been very worried about Venice HS for years. Last year we moved the police dept in to take some of the rooms. But we still have 18 unassigned rooms. There are many reasons for that and clearly Steve Barr and Green Dot’s permanent structure Animo High (approved during the term of the previous board member Marlene Canter) has something to with their enrollment of 580 students. Green Dot next moved to the middle school, but we have kept them co- located at Cowan Elementary, away from Venice. So here comes Steve Barr.
Steve added the language of requiring community approval rather than denying it because he was the one that called for the steering committee (they would have gone in with no review otherwise)
Anyway this should help with other future pilot schools not getting shoved down schools throats.
I do think those moves came from steve starting on a 5-2 minority and then moving on to become a swing vote.
Things have shifted radically w the end of the monica years. What is uncertain is how.
Steve is considering the presidency but he feela like we need a groundswell of support for an agenda as opposed to a candidate.
To that end i suggest moving on getting lindas greatness by design paper and other progressive proposals front and center particularly building around investments in curriculum broadening such as the arts resolution he co-authored and/or the steam approach.
Thats who i think he can be supported by so he can be more independent.
What do you think?
Claudia Vizcarra
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Barr should have no support. He does not care about children and education. He got bagged with $60,000 from Green Dot in their tax records. Then he goes back east and then to New Orleans. We read about him in New Orleans just two weeks ago. He has been a party with Deasy and the corporatist privatizers planning this sneak attack on Venice for a long time and with the principal who has certainly been promised something tangible. Compare this procedure of zero community involvement with the, also on Agenda item 25, Poly High with total transparency for three years for a 93% vote of confidence in the plan. If at Venice High they had done the same thing there would not be a problem. This is simply the steamroller effect. We crush you. Well, they broke the law with the 24 hour meeting. They should pay the price not the community. Would you personally like a hostile takeover as that is what it is. No excuses.
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