The Los Angeles Times published an article about reactions to LAUSD board member Ref Rodriguez’ Legal problems.
It is time for him to leave the board.
Resign.
Enough.
What a model for children.
If teachers were under indictment for multiple crimes, he or she would have to get out of the classroom. Now.
Please note that the president of the California Charter Schools Association issued a statement expressing his concern but does not call on him to resign. The charters in Los Angeles are asking for new rules to speed up their renewals, Free them to shape their own suspension policies, and protect them from burdensome accountability, so they must hang on to their majority. Prominently featured in the article is Caprice Young, CEO of the Turkish Gulen charter chain called Magnolia. Some of its charters were not renewed, and Magnolia is hoping to reverse that deci$ion. Young was previously president of the California Charter School Association before taking charge of the Imam Fetullah Gulen’s Magnolia Charter chain.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
More corruption and influence peddling, comparable to events in Ohio.
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Diane, I’m hearing rumors that Michelle King will announce her retirement in the next few days. She has said she has been out of work because of an accident while on vacation. But she has not been seen.
I have not been able to get this substantiated, but the rumor is circulating throughout LAUSD. If this new majority names the next superintendent, that will be awful.
Karen
>
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No way to stop the board majorityfrom naming the next superintendent
However if Ref resigns, as he should, there should be a special election to fill his seat.
Make the Dark money known and stop the corporate takeover
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Unfortunately, the LAUSD board can choose between appointing a replacement board member, or holding a special election. That in itself will be a spectacle.
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For the sake of the school district’s credibility, Rodriguez’s colleagues should insist he step down immediately. Anyone appointed as Superintendent by the board while Rodriguez is on it will come in under a cloud of suspicion.
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Retirement because of an accident? Smells fishy. My first thought is a Broad conspiracy theory. We better not have another criminal from the Broad Superintendents “Academy” like Deasy appointed by this criminal Board majority.
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The timing is certainly suspect.
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I could be wrong. Like I said, it’s a rumor. But it makes me think Rodriguez’s stepping down is more urgent than anyone’s behavior would indicate.
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“Throw out the Ref!”
Throw out the Ref!
He threw the game
A school board theft
And crying shame
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“He fixed the game”
Would make more sense
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In some sports, refs wear stripes. How appropriate!
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🙂
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My comments on the instant LA Times piece were as follow:
There was overwhelming evidence that Refugio “Ref” Rodriguez was embroiled in several serious scandals prior to his election. Faced with felony charges and civil complaints, he is a liability to the students of Los Angeles. Every day Rodriguez remains on the board he harms students in both public schools, and in privately managed charter schools. We know now why criminal defendant Rodriguez and colleague Jacqueline Elliot abruptly resigned from PUC in early June 2015. The charter school industry has proven time and time again that they will do the wrong thing when handed public money. Rodriguez’s vile conduct is not atypical for charter school operators. The charter school business model is designed to put profits before pupils. It’s time for a charter moratorium and a revisiting of what it means to be transparent, equitable, and accountable.
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I was just about to write how the comments, especially that one, accompanying the article were spot on.
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Personally, I don’t believe anyone around here is in any way fooled about what’s going on, up to and including the implications of oligarchic meddling (Reed Hastings just ante’d up $75K for Rodriguez’ legal defense).
The trick is how to affect a change, how to make “resistance” effective. I don’t think anyone’s really cracked that nut. Rodriguez just shamelessly holds on and how/who’s to stop him? The pawns and crooks are in charge and the hoi paloi are shut out.
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In the Massachusetts election about the expansion of charters, revelations about Dark Money turned the tide. People in Mass.were deeply offended that out-of-State billionaires were meddling in their state.
Why is it that people in Los Angeles don’t care that billionaires—in-state and out-of-state—are intervening to control their district schools?
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Yep, that about sums it up. Broad, Hastings, Fisher, and Riordan bought our democracy for themselves.
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Why don’t people care about the billionaire takeover? I just have no idea.
I think, for starters – though I don’t know that it’s worse here than elsewhere – but people seem existentially wearied by the corruption, as it’s known, of “politicians”. Even folks who aren’t “politicians” or corrupt – for one and all in the public eye at least, there’s a presumption of corruption before proven clean or caring or altruistic.
I just don’t get it, but people in the public eye are none of them believed to be real, everyone and everything is artifice and no amount of explaining otherwise or attempting to school folks’ to their right for otherwise seems to make a dent.
There’s a deep, fathomless cynicism and – I know it sounds ridiculous but sense of “betrayal” – ‘oh you know, those teachers, they’re all just in it for a paycheck’, yadayada. Not my kids’ teacher, but teachers-at-large.
Conversely, “of course the school board member is a criminal; they all are”. Etc.
There’s no way to engender outrage because everyone’s so busy feeling betrayed already.
It’s really an abdication of the responsibility of being a citizen, the responsibility of telling good from bad, choosing wisely. Accountability for the goodness of one’s choice. Not just making or having one, but shepherding one’s choice wisely.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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