The results are just starting to be reported in the Los Angeles school board election. First to report are the absentee ballots, which put the corporate reformer Nick Melvoin into a 60-40 lead over Steve Zimmer. The turnout was very low. Imelda Padilla trails 52-48.
You can watch the official returns here. They are updated every 40 minutes.
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/results.html
Eli Broad must be opening Dom Perignon. He is on the verge of buying control of the public schools.
If he breaks it, he owns it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As a charter school parent of 23 years and employee I am devastated by these results. I’ve witnessed and experienced first hand what happens at these so-called public charter schools authorized by LAUSD already! I’m so afraid for the future of public education for all LAUSD students these days especially now more than ever! 😭💔
Expect no accountability, more waste, fraud, and scandal.
I am sitting here at 6 am in So. Florida crying. I feel like I am living in a nightmare and can’t wake up. So many good teachers jumping ship and the new ones coming in are doing so with no intention of making this nearly impossible job a career. With the chaios of moving ESE behaviors into the gen ed popuation as it is “least restricitve” to “restorative justice” (time out for desk throwers and send ’em back to class), overworked and overwhelmed guidance counselors, shared psychologists with 3-4 schools and an IDIOT state legislature that loves “births”, hates “lives” and depises the poor. Does anyone else see this as the beginning of the end of a free society or am I catastrophizing? What is wrong with this country? Why can’t the public see what is happening? If they see, why don’t they care? The defeat in teacher’s eyes is palpable. It can’ t continue.
Breaking it won’t matter. Owning it is what really counts.
It hardly matters he fails. He will only fail by our metrics. The coverage will not ever focus on any failure. If it does it will be incidental and never, ever about the broad philosophical problems of charters.
As I’ve stated elsewhere, the “breaking it” part relies on this idea (flawed) that these failures of charters will somehow cumulatively add up in the collective conscience or political conscience and one day people will see the problems with charters as an idea. That won’t happen.
The entire point of a robust counter-narrative is that it (we) provide the constant reminder of the philosophical and root problems of charters at all times, never allowing the idea itself to become a norm. That has never materialized.
This is simply a win. These schools will never be public schools again. They will never return. Nobody talks about “re-publicing” anything thats gone private. Broad wins. Period.
When he (Broad) breaks it, he will own it. Wasn’t that his plan from the beginning? Once EdTech and CBE, de-funds the schools with insanely expensive recurring costs the schools will shut down. Prime real estate for the taking.
Actually, unless another school (charter or otherwise) or some other community based organization is ready to move in – the buidlings and RE are worthless. Most schools are located in residentially zoned areas and nearly impossible to get that changed. The buildings themselves are usually older and too expensive to rehab. This is why closing schools is such a problem, the buildings just sit there deteriortating taking the rest of the neighborhood with it.
WE ARE A NATION at RISK. Wasn’t true when Reagan commissioned the book: A Nation at Risk, for ALL the WRONG reasons.
Plus the book, A Nation at Risk, which Reagan commissioned was BOGUS.
The French Revolution that led to the use of the guillotine for France’s wealthiest and most powerful back then was probably caused by lies, misinformation and ignoring what’s best for most people and their children.