You can watch the live streaming of the UTLA protest against Eli Broad at the opening of his new museum here.
It will be live streamed TOMORROW at 9 AM Pacific Time, which is noon, EST.
Why picket Eli Broad?
He has funded every attack against the teaching profession, against teachers’ right to collective bargaining, and against public schools. This, despite the fact, that he graduated from the public schools of Michigan. He wants to fill America’s cities and communities with non-union charter schools.
In Los Angeles, his foundation has committed to opening enough charter schools to enroll 50 percent of L.A.’s students. Broad is committed to raise $1 billion from other foundations for his privatization plan. Imagine what he could do for the children of Los Angeles if he raised the same amount to reduce class sizes, to restore arts education and librarians, and to hire social workers and guidance counselors.
The president of the UTLA, Alex Caputo-Pearl has challenged Eli Broad to a debate. Broad has not responded.
Who elected him to privatize the public schools of Los Angeles and the nation?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
And in today’s paper, “civic leaders” have met with school board president Zimmer suggesting that they be allowed to lead the search for a new superintendent for LAUSD. Many of these “civic leaders” supported Deasy. ( Wouldn’t it be nice to circumvent that pesky ELECTED school board?) They asserted they would get waaay better candidates if the vetting and interviewing could be done in a private and confidential manner.
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This is exactly the group that should have NO say in the process of choosing a new Supt for LAUSD. The main spokesperson is head of United Way which was the lead organization working with PRev to keep Deasy in power and to charterize LAUSD.
I addition, George Keiffer, partner in lthe law firm Manatt, Phelps and Philiips, and a UCLA Regent, was a major voice during the orchestrated street theater on Oct. 29, 2013, when he shouted out for all to hear words to the affect, and through the LA Times, that Deasy was an excellent Supt and his contract should be renewed, also remarking with disdain about the vast group seeing through this sham.
It should NOT be one more Blue Ribbon panel representing privatizing our public schools, but rather a committee comprised of real independent voices like those on this blog, Robert Skeels, Karen Wolfe, Cynthia Liu, and others, including me, who should be on this panel. It should include real educators, parents, community activists, and taxpayers, who want to improve and preserve our public schools.
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Today’s report quotes Steve Zimmer as saying that this was a “very positive meeting” and he looks forward to meeting with them again ….so when will Zimmer meet with us, the voices in support of public schools? He promised me personally to meet with us last year, but when I tried to make an appointment for our meeting, he refused to even reply.
Zimmer, are you once again going to fold to the power brokers who are seeking to destroy our public schools? Are you once again going to lick Eli Broad’s boots? If not, then speak out and give us a date to meet with you.
You can reach me at
Joiningforces4ed@aol.com
I will get our group, names noted above, together to sit down with you and present our perspectives on searching and vetting a new Supt.
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This “civic” group keeps secretly trying to influence our elected officials to privately select a public official. They claim that keeping the identities of candidates for superintendent is necessary to the integrity of the search process.
Shrouding the process in secrecy makes no sense! When any professional sends out his or her resume, it is expected that his or her current employer will be contacted and asked for letters of reference. You can’t hide your job search. And there is nothing wrong with seeking a greater position. You won’t be fired by Acme Paper Airplanes for applying to be CEO of Northrop Grumman.
Further, considering that public school superintendent is a position of public service, keeping the names of the candidates private is like keeping the names of the U.S. presidential candidates private from all but the members of the electoral college until the election. Just like calling a special interest group of wealthy venture investors a group of “civic leaders”, it defies reason. It defies democracy. It precludes quality.
Finally, the Broad Museum, even though I will never set foot in it, I can tell you all with total confidence, is a monstrosity like its owner.
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I;d like to see one high-profile politician publicly contradict one of the ed reform billionaires. They keep insisting they’re independent of these billionaires but it’s just very convenient to me that they always, always seem to agree with Gates and Broad and the rest.
Ed reformers in government will “boldly” go against labor unions, I notice. Weird how there’s never a peep out of them on the grand plans of the billionaires.
Everything Eli Broad decides to do must be consistently fabulous and also 100% in the public interest. There’s a word for that odd lack of public dissent and it’s “capture”.
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I will be there, protesting Mr. Burns’ oops! I mean Mr. Broad’s ghastly plan for our city. I also think it is important to note that there is no art education component for youngsters at this vanity monstrosity oops! I mean art museum.
As for the supe search. Huh. Still waiting for Zimmer to put his money where his mouth is. I have been waiting for that the whole time he has been on the board.
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Yep!
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What doesn’t get said out of fear of the monsters. Slave leaders need to speak up and shut down the puppet masters.
United Way is corrupt and culpable in the WTO and WHO Agenda 21 plan. Promise Neighborhoods in the S.1177 Ed Act will lock kids and entire communities into Orwellian new world order while the 120-140 Billionaires run it all.
Rethink Sandy Hook. Did you see an interview with any teachers? It was a hoax to get the Agenda pushed forward. Ownership and control. That is the plan rolling out slowly and without highlight.
Puppet Masters grabbed a bike wheel, tagged each spoke, and sent the populace chasing in all directions – GMO, WATER, Common core, charter schools, big pharma-VAX, privacy abolition, chem trails. Think about it. Charter schools force community to disperse in every direction.
Agenda 21 seeks “Unity” and “Strength”… For the puppet masters. How to get it? Remove the real teachers and replace them with tools. Remove cohesiveness in local public school communities by “spokes” of charters which segregate. If the heart of community is its local school and those are targeted as they are….then the social engineering of children is the backbone of the new world order.
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Holy Toledo, Batman! I have never read about Agenda 21. Thanks?
The plan to control the populace has been clear to me working in public schools. Putting it in a bigger picture perspective of controlling us all is just…horrific.
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I think this is good news:
“Hanger said the governor is focused on overhauling the state’s scandal-plagued cyber charters, which have drawn unwanted national attention, but pledged that Wolf also would seek broader reforms to the state’s educational system, including charter lending.
“The story underlines that there are more parts of how charter schools are operating that require more tightening and oversight,” he said. “There are specific reforms to [school] building projects that we’re going to look at very carefully in the coming year.”
Pennsylvania charter laws are just as bad as Ohio’s and this is how the debate started in Ohio- one newspaper- and the rest followed. You just need one to break ranks.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150918_Charter_debt__stunningly_bad_.html
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And if it matters. As the logical, artistic conclusion to a Broady-Toady sensibility. Nobody much like the museum. “Creative Imagination Muted” is only one of the descriptions and it fits exactly what this monied ignorance has been doing to LAUSD and to other public school districts across the USA.
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Good venue to protest. A Wall Street Journal review of this museum and collection was a zinger, I doubt that the Broads are pleased. http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-art-of-the-broad-a-consensus-collection-1442432448
Conspicuous and public self-indulgence is one of the privileges of the billionaire class. Artists and architects who have the right stuff and PR are pleased to have so many investors. There is another Broad art museum at Michigan State University, designed by a winner of the 2004 Pritzker Prize for architecture.
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I thoroughly enjoyed that article. Thank you.
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When ArtNews began asking the question in the early 90’s about the effects of museum public/ private partnerships we all knew things would only get worse. Gates had the idea that he should be able to obtain copyrights of any work he purchased. He wanted to collect artists, pay them salaries and own it all. One day he’ll do that…after he finishes the geo tagging, Robinson T teaching and monitorization of all our kids.
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Eli Broad Museum?
Is that like the “Ringling Bro’s Museum”?
What do they have on display? Torture devices from the LA teacher jails? John Deasy’s frozen head?
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I would hope that more LAUSD and LA people will comment on this situation which is vital to our community. It is welcoming that others around the country give their points of view…but it is VITAL to hear from our own community about joining in protesting one more Blue Ribbon privatizers panel choosing the next Supt. who will then surely be a clone of John Deasy, and trained at the Broad Academy…whom they worked with Broad/Villaraigosa to install in the first place. No one elected Broad, nor United Way, and their claque to choose the Supt. nor to run LAUSD.
We elected a Board of Education which is supposed to remain neutral while listening to the entire community, not only the rich and powerful.
Monica Ratliff, Scott Schmerelson, George McKenna, Vladovic, and Zimmer….we expect you to hear us too in personal meetings…and we have no illusions about the position of charterizers Monica Garcia and Refugio Rodriguez.
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Parent calling them out. See you in a few hours.
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This action/ protest makes this retired UTLA Chair very proud. Thank you Alex and all who organized this event. The philanthropists do everything possible to prevent fair play for those who attend LAUSD Schools.
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Rick…would very much appreciate your voice in calling out Steve Zimmer, and joining our group to sit down with him and present the perspectives of real people rather than the in-group ruled by Eli Broad.
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The problem seems to be that you have no confidence in those who would normally be on a search committee. People do not go out and announce that they are looking for a new job if there is a chance they will be staying where they are. Confidentiality is very important. There are ways of vetting people for high profile positions that do not involve recs from their current employers. The issue really is having a committee that will serve the needs of the community rather than the agenda of self appointed oligarchs.
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You’re right, completely. It is very difficult to trust our leaders when they meet in secret with tycoons.
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I, too, will be participating in rhe Sunday morning Broad protest! I plan to go early, get a parking space, and find somewhere within reasonable wslking distance to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before all the fun begins. Would anyone like to join me?
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