The Los Angeles school board is split 4-3, with charter advocates holding the majority. The decisive vote belongs to Ref Rodriguez, who is currently awaiting trial on multiple felony indictments for campaign finance violations.
The board appears poised to select Austin Beutner as its new superintendent, despite the fact that he has no experience in education.
Beutner was an investment banker and managed a private equity firm. His firm, Evercore, financed the purchase of American Media, which publishes the “National Enquirer.” Beutner was a member of the board of that scandal sheet. He is a billionaire. He briefly served as publisher of the Los Angeles Times until he was ousted. He is close to Eli Broad.
Interestingly, as a side note, Beutner was born in Holland, Michigan, and his father was a top executive at Amway. That should give him easy access to Betsy DeVos and help speed the privatization of public schools in Los Angeles.
Thought: If Ref Rodriguez is convicted and has to leave the board, the superintendent will have to lead a 3-3 Board. Too bad the LAUSD is unwilling to select a consensus candidate. Very short-sightrd
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-beutner-nonprofit-faulted-20180415-story.html
Diane Ravitch's blog 
LAUSD nightmares never seem to end.
If the teachers were smart they’d vote to choose someone independent and pro-teacher.
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Too bad the teachers aren’t making the decisions. I put in my retirement papers.
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THIS statement very painfully hits home: over and over and over the truth with school “reform” and the endless push to privatize and segregate through charters is that the TEACHERS are not making the decisions…
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My response: That’s a 1000 font size WTF.
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I just want to cry.
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Absolutely! Thank you for sharing this.
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Ref Rodriguez has all but admitted guilt. That’s why his reformster friends said the crimes were rookie mistakes instead of saying they were false charges. That’s why Ref has been getting drunk (and detained by the police for his own safety) on school nights. He’s guilty. He knows it. When he is convicted, not only will the new superintendent have to deal with a 3-3 board, but all the money in the world will not make it easy to replace Ref with another charter lackey after this debacle. The new superintendent is likely to be fired in short order if he or she doesn’t show a willingness to support public schools and public school teachers.
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There will soon be a 4-3 majority for public schools is what I meant above. Just got home from school a few minutes ago, called an attorney in my family, and was told there’s a 90-something percent conviction rate for these sorts of crimes when they go to trial.
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Inservice, the only way to get a 4-3 majority for public schoools is to win a special election if Ref is convicted.
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I would think a special election would happen sooner than later. The hubris of the power brokers would cause it. We would win too. My humble opinions.
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Kyle Stokes of KPCC discovered that Rodriguez filed different form 700 for the same year, one going to PUC Schools and the other to LAUSD. Sadly, the public doesn’t know this information until it’s too late.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2018/04/18/82269/ref-rodriguez-filed-two-forms-disclosing-his-2014/
Given these recent revelations about Rodriguez, it might be valuable to learn the details of Beutner’s finances, especially now that his family connection to Dick DeVos’ Amway Corporation has been uncovered.
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“… his (Beutner’s) father was an executive at Amway.”
In other words, he grew up in an Organized Crime family.
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As we saw with the S&L Scandal and the more recent banking scandals (at JP Morgan Chase, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and elsewhere), many banks are also basically pyramid schemes, with the CEO at the top.
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Member of the board for the National Enquirer?
Should be expect any less of a deformer?
Standards, you know.
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Actually, there might be a bright side to this.
If Rodriguez is convicted and forced to leave, maybe Beutner will appoint Bigfoot to take his place.
Would undoubtedly be an improvement.
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Beutner’s company Evercore bought the parent company of the National Enquirer, AMI. He joined the board of AMI. This is the company that paid $150,000 to the Playmate of the Year, Karen McDougal, for her story about her affair with Trump, then buried the story. “Catch and kill.” I read yesterday that they reached an amicable settlement.
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What a rabbit hole. Curiouser and curiouser.
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Lewis Carroll could not have imagined “Deformers in Blunderland” no matter how hard he had tried.
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But I did, with a lot of help from Lewis!
“The Billionaire and the Reformer” (parody of The Walrus and the Carpenter, by Lewis Carroll)
The pol was pining for a charter,
pining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The regulations sleight —
Which wasn’t hard, because the guv
Was charter acolyte
The public was pining sulkily,
Because they thought the pol
Had got no business to be there
After the charter stole —
“Incredible of him,” they said,
“To work for charter dole”
The money was tight as tight could be,
The coffers were bare as bare.
You could not see a dollar, cuz
No dollar was in there:
No Race was funding overhead —
There was no Race to fund.
The Billionaire and the Reformer
Were talking under bleachers;
They wept like anything to see
Poor qualities of teachers:
If these were only cleared away,’
Our schools would be like peaches!’
If seven Chetty’s with seven VAMs
VAMmed for half a year,
Do you suppose,’the Billionaire said,
That they could get them clear?’
I doubt it,’ said the Reformer,
And shed a bitter tear.
O students, come and walk with us!’
The Billionaire did beseech.
A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
A better way to teach
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.’
The eldest student looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest student winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head —
Meaning to say he did not choose
To go with Bill, and fled
But four young students hurried up,
All eager for the fest:
Their hair was brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and best —
And this was odd, because, you know,
They’re going to a test.
Four other students followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more —
All hopping through the student waves
And scrambling to the door.
The Billionaire and the Reformer
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little students stood
And waited in a row.
The time has come,’ the Billionaire said,
To talk of many things:
Of Common Core — and standard tests — of passing score — and VAMs —
And why the schools are failing [Not!] —
And whether pigs have wings.’
But wait a bit,’ the students cried,
Before we have our talk;
For some of us are out of breath,
And some of us can’t walk!’
No hurry!’ said the Reformer.
As patient as a hawk.
A load of bread,’ the Billionaire said,
Is what we chiefly need:
Testing and Common Core besides
Are very good indeed —
Now if you’re ready, students dear,
We can begin to weed.’
But not with us!’ the students cried,
Turning a little blue.
After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!’
The day is fine,’ the Billionaire said.
Do you admire the view?
It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!’
The Reformer said nothing but
‘That cut score won’t suffice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf —
I’ve had to tell you twice!’
It seems a shame,’ the Billionaire said,
To play them such a trick,
After we’ve brought them out so far,
To make them test so quick!’
The Reformer said nothing but
“The opt-out’s spread too thick!”
I weep for you,’ the Billionaire said:
I deeply sympathize.’
With sobs and tears he sorted out
The scores of smallest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
O students,’ said the Reformer,
You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?’
But answer came there none —
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d flunked out every one.”
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“Jabbertalky” (after Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll, of course)
Twas brillig, and the billionaires
Did lie and dissemble in the press
All flimsy were Deformer wares
And the charter rats did nest
“Beware the Jabbertalk my son!
The Cores that bite, the tests that catch!
Beware the Coleman bird, and shun
Felonius charters, natch!”
He took his opt-out sword in hand:
Long time Deformer foe he sought —
So rested he by the Knowledge tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in peaceful thought he stood,
The Jabbertalk, with eyes of flame,
Came bumbling through the teaching wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The opt-out blade went snicker-snack!
He left test dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And, has thou slain the Jabbertalk?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
He chortled in his joy.
Twas brillig, and the billionaires
Did lie and dissemble in the press
All flimsy were Deformer wares
And the charter rats did nest
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I doubt even Lewis Carroll could have imagined this dystopia.
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Charter supporters consider him an ally, though as a member of the task force he has given no such indication.”
Boy it must suck to be a public school family in Los Angeles. Too bad there are no “public school supporters” in positions of power.
Who are their “allies”? Who works for the kids in the unfashionable public schools?
They really send a clear message to the public, don’t they? “Enroll in a charter or you won’t have any political representation on this board”
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