Magnet Angel - Because every parent deserves an angel in their corner.

Magnet Apps Due Earlier

Angelmom — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:56:29 +0000

There's rabbit season, duck season, and of course, in LAUSD there's magnet season. And just like that famous scene between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, there are parents scrambling to get applications filled out, and the district indiscriminantly changing dates without rhyme or reason.

In one sense, it makes better sense to have the application due date before the winter holiday. After all, the applications last year were due DURING the holiday break and unsuspecting parents were shocked that they'd missed any opportunity to tour the campuses. On the other hand, parents barely finished getting rid of Halloween candy leftovers will be scrambling to get to tours and magnet nights.

I've had people ask whether that means we'll hear from the district offices earlier, and as I consult my Magic 8-Ball, I'd say "Don't Count on It."

The downside to moving things forward is the e-Choices website is still not operational, so keep checking for updates here: http://echoices.lausd.net/

And in the Valley, Sepulveda Middle School hosts their middle school magnet night on Wednesday, November 4th from 6-8 pm. For high school families, Monroe's Magnet Night is Thursday, November 5th, from 6-8 pm. There is some push among the local districts to host local magnet informational sessions, as the CHOICES Fair was cancelled for this year.

Feel free to ask any magnet related comments in the comments below. For a refresher:

You can only apply to one magnet OR permit with transportation OR public school choice (Program Improvement school)
In the Spring, you can apply to as many SAS, open enrollment, child care permit schools as you wish.
All deadlines will vary, so make sure you know which program has what specific deadline.
Above all, remember to breathe. We'll all get through this together.

MagnetAngel

Concerns Over Schools on the List

Angelmom — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:06:42 +0000

So the first few schools have been chosen, offered up to charter operators or other interested parties according to an article in the Daily News.

One of the schools is literally within walking distance of my home. My son did not attend there. And it's highly unlikely my daughter would ever set foot on the campus either. The school has awfully low test scores, requires uniforms, and although it's been awhile, I've witnessed massive fights on my street and it's not out of the ordinary to watch kids scale the eight-foot fence to get off campus (apparently it's not an issue for the police station next door, either).

It's not clear if anyone would want the historic property--for a middle school or any other configuration. But chances are, some group will apply. And as a neighbor, I'm concerned. If the new operators were to choose the extended-day or extended year model of some schools (7:30 to 5 pm, plus Saturdays, or year round), I'd be concerned with increased traffic. Or the school could offer a philosophy that doesn't necessarily jive with every family (21st Century Skills vs. Core Knowledge). And in those cases, I'd be concerned for the students that aren't interested in the new operator's philosophy. I wondered about this over the summer as Burmingham went charter and moved their school year up a full three weeks. They have their reasons, and I'm not interested in a mid-August start date.

As these bids are considered, I'd like to challenge the district to consider the concept of "tyranny of the majority" and offer students not interested in these new campuses priorty for registering at a nearby quality campus. Offer these families a clear invitation to attend any school within their boundaries without restrictions.

I know how to get my kids into quality schools through magnet, open enrollment, SAS and other programs. Make sure that every family affected by these changes have the same.

The Upside to Class Size Increases

Angelmom — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:44:38 +0000

Since my son entered first grade, the class size for K-3 was 20:1. It's almost like a sacred cow in the sense that anything larger than that seemed unreasonable. And as school years started, and we often had classes of 17 or 18, we gloated--to the point that when a new student would arrive midyear we'd lament, as if 19 students would suddenly be the end of the world.

But this year, our principal stood firm that in a great school like ours, 24:1 would not be the end of the world. And actually, as the first week draws to a close, I'm seeing a few perks I didn't realize.

My daughter's grade level is now split among three teachers, not four. So as a "big third grader" she has even more of her friends from the last three years in her same class. And the school itself has two empty classrooms to use for whatever we choose.

One is becoming our Parent Center. We've had a bungalow up on blocks for over a year. The Parent Center is technically on campus, behind cyclone fencing, and we'd all grown resigned to the fact that it wouldn't open in our time with the school. We started affectionately calling it the "Dorothy House" after the Wizard of Oz. That's changed. We have a classroom that we can soon call ours for meetings, classes or anything else we choose.

And the other one, we can dream about: A science center. A technology center with a smart board. A second computer lab. An art studio. Sky's the limit, really.

I know the cuts aren't done, and there will always be more to do with much less to go around. But to get through this, I'm going to look at the glass as half-full, and know that my daughter is happy and in a great place, and that she has more friends to back her up.

Another Way to Look at Choice

Angelmom — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:34:56 +0000

I'm not opposed to trying new things out in LAUSD. Fact is, the district has needed a major overhaul for years. And unfortunately in this financial crisis, the district will be overhauling itself for better or worse.

Yolie Aguilar Flores will be re-introducing and the board will be voting on a School Choice initiative later this month, where newly built schools will be bid on by charter operators and LAUSD alike. And while I like parts of the bill, the reality is the district already has choice, including the parents who opt out. We just need to increase the options already available to us.

What the district needs is to loosen school boundaries, and increase the choice. Every week I respond to parents who want to know how to get their child into a variety of schools that are well regarded. These schools have essentially created a brand name for themselves. Whether it's Granada Hills Charter High School with its early school year, or El Camino with its Academic Decathalon team, or Verdugo Hills High School with its unique Copernican Block schedule, parents seek these schools out.

Rather than selling out the schools to some operator, I wish more schools would differentiate themselves, and create the products we want to see. Whether that's a uniform-wearing, early school-school-year-starting, required summer school kind of place, or a part day on high-school campus, part day on college campus type school, or whether it's four-years of latin and four years of autoharp curriculum; think if the schools are allowed to create it, the families will flock to it.

While partnering with parents to create what they want works for the short term (students move on in just a few years), it's hard to appreciate it working in the long term. The reality is these schools take a few years to get up and running and the parents who start them up have to sacrifice a lot in hopes that their dream school is created (the dream media lab at my son's high school was completed late in his senior year). To use a different analogy, if someone asked me to create the best restaurant ever, I don't know that I could start it from nothing, but show me restaurant row in any given town, and I'll gladly show you where I want to take my family for dinner. Even health insurance allows most participants to choose the doctor they'll see. Plans that force you to a particular provider are usually not well received.

The district has no data on how many parents are homeschooling, and when given the option of the types of schools they'd actually want to attend would do so. They also don't have any hard data on how many kids are being private schooled because of a lack of options in public schools. Certainly if the highest rated public school was across the street from their homes, some home school and some private school parents would still choose those options. Yet many families in LAUSD are trying to move from one school to another, and the moves are sometimes complementary. I often hear of families trying to get into Frost Middle School, and many looking for a different type of campus for their students.

Given how many people vie for the magnet slots, and how many people try the open enrollment lotteries, only to be turned away, we need to start creating more attainable options (those that don't require 20 or more magnet points and planning from age 4). I'm not hung up on bussing. Frankly, parents will get their kids to the schools of choice using whatever method they must. And forcing families to attend schools with options that go against their personal beliefs isn't going to convince more people to return to public education.

Conversely, we can't completely get rid of the school boundary zone. Families who buy into a well-established school zone should have that investment rewarded. But some of the newer schools are overlaying other boundaries. Students at Northridge Academy come from Monroe, Granada or Cleveland. I believe Hesby Oaks middle schoolers have the option of a 6-8 school or the K-8 span at Hesby. These are the choices I'm talking about.

Even smaller cities with troubled schools could really make out. The new high school in San Fernando could create an environmental science/urban planning academy that would allow students to work with the departments in the City of San Fernando in a way that would attract students with high test scores and active parents.

Give us those types of choices--in the build it and they will come mentality--and watch families flock to great schools.

Ten Reasons to Make Sure You Listen to Constituents

Angelmom — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:12:10 +0000

A month ago, I found out Tamar Galatzan wants to be a City Councilperson for the city of Los Angeles. One of the most important qualities a candidate can have is listening to the wants and needs of his/her constituents.

However, I'm not a constituent. Yet, because I've sent emails to Tamar's LAUSD district office, I'm now on some special list to get emails asking me to donate to her campaign. I politely replied the first time and requested to be removed from the mailing list, and I thought I was safe until I got some schmultzy list of the Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Tamar Galatzan. Like I said, I live in a separate city, something that anyone in the Northeast Valley comprehends, I'd hope.

So since I had time, here are my top 10 reasons NOT to vote for Tamar. Feel free to add to the list in the comments below:

Top Ten Reasons for Me to Not Vote for Tamar Galatzan:

1. I don't live in the City of Los Angeles, so I'm ineligible.
2. People with two full-time jobs should really focus on those jobs, and not seek a third.
3. Two years of an LAUSD term does not warrant a "promotion."
4. Parents who trusted her, now question whether that trust was misplaced.
5. Despite voting for Wendy Greuel, Wendy endorsed another candidate.
6. She previously said she was not interested in City Council. Was she lying or indecisive?
7. She's unelectable in Sunland-Tujunga because of two little words: Home Depot.
8. Perhaps she can run for Mayor in 4 years when Mayor Shoulderpads is done.
9. She should be using her summer break from LAUSD meetings to figure out how to keep the entire district from going charter.
10. I already mentioned not living in the district, and asked to be removed, and no one listened at Campaign HQ.

Say It Ain't So--Tamar Running for City Council

Angelmom — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:40:24 +0000

Several years back a mom with young kids ran for an LAUSD seat held by a former school teacher. She ran under the guise that she would have kids in the district, and she would be the only one on the board who had kids of school age. The fight was ugly, divisive, and many of us watched with concern as Tamar Galatzan unseated Jon Lauritzen. Over the years, however, she's grown on me. She's been a vocal advocate regarding non-Title I schools. She voted for the Birmingham Charter. And, most importantly, she distanced herself from Mayor Villaraigosa.

Sadly, today, however, I read that the predictions of two years ago were true. Tamar Galatzan has pulled papers to run for the Los Angeles City Council District 2 seat formerly held by Wendy Grueuel.

All the meetings for Local District 1 she held on the far south and east side (of her district seem too obvious now. Instead of Northridge, Chatsworth, or Canoga Park, they were being held in Sherman Oaks and Valley Glen.

Clearly, people are entitled to run for any office they feel qualified for. I just feel a sense of let down that the one advocate that seemed to understand the middle class return to public schools really wasn't in it for us after all. She has a long way to go, and quite a few people to beat, but it makes me worry for Local District 1 schools and families (School Board seat 3), because she's got a LOT on her plate--a job with the City Attorney, her "part-time" school board seat, and now a very political election cycle that will require quite a bit of her attention at the very time that the families in her district need her most. In perhaps the biggest irony, *most* of the families in her School Board district will not be able to vote on the Council District seat. So it's out of their hands if she gets elected and leaves the board. Should she step down now to focus on the election or is just part of a part-time school board member enough?

SOSClassroom.org to the Summer School Rescue

Angelmom — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:30:31 +0000

I'll admit, I'm old-fashioned. I don't own a cell phone and only reluctantly got a Facebook account this month. However, a group of students at USC is pitching in to help parents deal with the cancellation of summer school and making me feel even older at the same time. With buzz words like crowdsourcing and online aggregation, they've put together a list of resources for K-8 students who might have been in an LAUSD classroom this summer for four weeks if it weren't for budget cuts.

But this isn't a passive resource. The only way it works is to help them by sending them any website resources you have as well. So whether you're comfortable emailing them the links, or you can "Digg" or "Twitter" them the goods, head over to SOSClassroom.org and see what they have available. It sure beats a summer full of "Suite Life" and "i-Carly" reruns.

So far, my daughter's favorites are the videos of all the old SchoolHouse Rock skits. She has my DVDs and CDs, but there's something about watching them on the computer that has her fascinated.

Birmingham Charter Application Approved

Angelmom — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:37:01 +0000

After watching the school board meeting on cable, I can safely say
the board followed the law, and in the process will have offended some
families and staffers.

I listened with interest as Marguerite LaMotte asking if Prop 39 works in reverse. Prop 39 forces districts with space to give eligible charters space within the district. Yet, now that the 2990 seat Birmingham Community Charter moves forward, along with the 500 seat Daniel Pearl Journalism Magnet, what happens to the families that don't want to start on August 19th? Or the teachers who have less than a month to decide if they want to be part of the charter, or if they want to try to get jobs on other campuses (unlikely in this financial climate), or face being turned into substitute teachers?

Certainly some families will be eager to join the Birmingham Community Charter and they'll be able to apply and hopefully be accepted. But for those who have just lost their school, it's too late to apply to the Pearl Magnet--or any other magnet for that matter, it's too late to apply through Open Enrollment, to apply to another SAS, or any other charter. For these kids, what are their options? Who helps them relocate? Ms. Galatzan's office? District 1's office? Individual nearby schools with openings? Parent groups?

While the law dictates the approval of the charter, perhaps the district should be looking at options that make provisions for the students who are now displaced. And given the likelihood this will repeat with increasing frequency at additional schools, I hope the school board, the district offices, and other concerned groups work for the benefit of ALL the students, and not just those on the winning side.

The Challenge of Conversion Charters

Angelmom — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:23:00 +0000

According to an article published late this evening by Connie Llanos at the Daily News, the charter application for Birmingham High School has been approved.

Birmingham is one of the coveted LAUSD schools, highly rated, and well regarded. It's a model for the type of schools that are clamoring for real local control. But after watching the cablecast of the the meeting last week, it was also a perfect example of what could go wrong by taking that first step.

The Daniel Pearl Journalism Magnet asked not to included, so they'll be completely autonomous. Many magnets operate in this way, with the exception of test scores and other things that get muddled and included with the main campus.

And after 80 of 120 teachers signed the charter petition, some (others claim many) changed their minds. At the LAUSD board meeting, many parents claimed having no knowledge of the petition. Students claimed to be harrassed for questioning the charter.

As a parent in one of LAUSD's highly coveted elementary schools, I can see where the problems are going to crop up. We're non-Title I, and we all want autonomy to control our destiny--that is, until the realities of losing lifetime health care scare off the senior teachers. Or until different factions claim harrassment. Or until there's a disagreement in the vision of the petitioners.

I wish the Parent Union/Parent Revolution and other groups well, but I wonder how we get from where we are surviving despite LAUSD to surviving without LAUSD. Parents want change, but are they willing to do it without the teachers and administrators that make their schools great? And how many schools will LAUSD let go before they realize they're letting the best schools go, making their job even harder?

Updating the FAQ

Angelmom — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:56:31 +0000

I've been slowly adding some info to the FAQ, so if there's anything specific you'd like to see included, post it in comments or send me an email to lausdmagnetangel at gmail dot com.

No Wonder Parents Are Confused...

Angelmom — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:39:47 +0000

As you probably can guess, I read a lot of education blogs and
websites. And there are always bandwagon discussions that every other education site
seems to jump onto (longer school day, uniforms, testing, etc.). But today, I found two different articles that made me laugh:

First a USA Today article that discusses the need for more PE to combat obesity.

and an Edweek.org blog article discussing the need for a change to extracurriculars to focus on art and music rather than sports.

Is it any wonder parents are confused if the experts can't make up their minds? Aside from my needing to find another hobby, what do you think? Have a great weekend.

Next Round of Budget Cuts

Angelmom — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:21:58 +0000

A return to half-day kindergarten, and of course, a parcel tax. Sure if LAUSD schools looked like Oak Park schools, or performed as well, I could discuss a parcel tax, but are you kidding me?

I'll be honest, I have never been a fan of full-day kindergarten. It's a convenience for working parents, and it's a way for the district to push the first grade curriculum down into kindergarten to increase test scores. But I had to do it with my daughter, or else she would have read and done math for three hours and nothing else. In order to get a balanced kindergarten with music, art, and games, I had to let her go full day. Parents who want full day should pay for the privelege, and the schools can make money on the program. Remember, California doesn't even require kindergarten, and the last thing I'd want to see is the district eliminate it completely.

The proposal offered other "suggestions" as well.

Things like encouraging student attendance and teacher attendance are great, but I've known teachers who use their sick days as vacation to do anything from bowl in a tournament to go to Disneyland. Ask your school site council what a substitute costs, and then multiply that cost by the thousands of "sick" days abused. What about when talking about "shared sacrifice" if professional development was to be done in the summer, when teachers aren't in class. Teachers have an option to take their pay in a 10-month installment or a 12-month installment, but they're always referred to as a yearly salary. If we're all talking about shared sacrifice, then we need teachers to take some of that down time and put it back into their profession. I know when I study, or do a conference, I'm not paid for it, and I use my personal time, so I'm not asking for anything I wouldn't do myself. And on the other side of the attendance coin, as a parent, I'd be willing to pay for absences, not that I'm taking my kid to Hawaii for a week, but I know parents who do. I've heard of some schools doing this, and I wonder if other parents would support it. If not for student illnesses at the very least for family vacations.

Another part of the presentation that annoys me is the "volunteer at your child's school." If you take the hours my husband and I both donate (along with my son, and even my mom), we're talking close to a full time job for one of us. I don't mind. I think truthfully, we should tap into the retired neighbors and grandparents and encourage them to help in the office, on the recess yard, or even to help read in the school libraries. Often they had children attend the school decades ago, and the schools with strong API scores continue to help buoy home values in a tough real estate market. I'd love to have that golden resource of retired folks helping on school since so many parents work.

I'd be afraid to even consider LAUSD's non-profit foundation as a donation model, since earlier this year the district essentially stole funds from schools that had been holding on to as little as a couple thousand dollars of materials funds for next year.

And about that parcel tax. Well, let's just see how fast the San Fernando Valley seeks to break away from downtown before that happens. We already essentially have a "tax" in the form of a pledge drive for my daughter's school of a suggested $180 per family. Other schools seek much more. Parcel taxes are only paid for by property owners, but sadly renters will see increases as well. And frankly I'd better trust my school's PTO and the school site council with the money than the district.

Alright, I'm done ranting for now. Anyone want to offer their take?

Congratulations to the Class of 2009!

Angelmom — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:08:51 +0000

To those 5th, 8th, and 12th graders, congrats! To their parents who nagged, nudged, and perservered, enjoy this weekend. LAUSD's class of 2009 graduates this weekend.

It's hard to believe my son graduated a year ago--in 108 degree heat. We said someday it would be funny. We're still waiting for that day, but in the mean time, enjoy some beautiful weather and let us know what you're doing this summer.

LAUSD Officially Cancels Summer School

Angelmom — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:18:04 +0000

Just got off the phone with a reporter, and contacted a local district office, and it's official: LAUSD has cancelled summer school for elementary and middle school students. Only high school students seeking to makeup for failing grades will be able to take summer school.

Coupled with the loss of community college summer school courses, I really feel for high school kids who are now unable to get ahead and will face heavier work loads to compete in the college admissions race.

More as it becomes available.

LACCD Cancels Second Summer Session

Angelmom — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:50:03 +0000

LAUSD students and college students alike take note: LACCD has cancelled the second summer session of college courses that were to begin in July.

LAUSD students who want to get a jump on college, or take courses not available at their home school will be out of luck. And college students trying to transfer to university sooner or get a few classes out of the way before returning to their universities are going to be denied.

My son was lucky--it was essentially dumb luck--in that he chose the first session in June.

Valley and Pierce both offer two shorter summer sessions of five weeks each. This decision affects the second session. Mission appears to offer only the first session.

Students affected should check Pasadena, Glendale, College of the Canyons, and even Moorpark.

In addition, LAUSD students should check carefully if they were planning on taking summer sessions through the school district, as rumors of cancelling summer school are rampant.

Judge Blocks Teacher Walkout

Angelmom — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:05:26 +0000

An LA Superior Court judge this morning blocked the teachers one-day walk out scheduled for Friday. Read more about it in Connie Llanos' Daily News article.

Can the parents and the children get the protection of a union now? This is clearly not about the kids.

My "Network" Moment

Angelmom — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:27:29 +0000

I’m having that “Network” moment, just like when the character melts down in the 1976 movie and says “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Being a parent with a child in LAUSD is already a challenge. I navigate the various deadlines of magnet programs, open enrollment, and anything else to get my kids into schools that seem as good as the ones I went to when I was in school. As a parent, I’m faced with incredible tasks of fundraising to provide the things that are normal parts of school—field trips, assemblies, art, music, and even PE. It’s essentially a full-time job. I’m supposed to understand it takes forever to get an LAUSD psychologist to test kids for giftedness, and that I can’t pay for outside testing to move the process along. Sending a kid to public school becomes a full-time job trying to stay on top of the issues of the district, the issues at the school, the volunteering in the classroom, and making endless meetings with the PTA, its variety of committees, or the school’s site council. And as a parent who survived LAUSD long enough that my son made it to dealing with LAUSD high school issues I found out that college units taken while in high school don’t count toward high school graduations or GPAs. And I eventually realized navigating the college admissions process is strictly on your own, unless your child is planning to attend a local community college.

Yet, overall, for the last dozen years, we’ve had it good. Apparently too good. My son entered kindergarten in 1995, and by first grade, California schools choose to limit class size to 20:1. I believe it was K-2 at first and then third grade came later. But the younger grades were treated to some really manageable class sizes. This allowed some parents to consider public schools, at least through elementary school, and save the tuition for later in their student’s career path. My daughter came along ten years later, and I was able to pick up what I learned with my son, fine tune it to a whole new level, and actually share it with other LAUSD parents for free. Through Open Enrollment, she’s been attending a phenomenal school in Granada Hills: fewer than 450 kids, great parental involvement, superb teachers, and an amazing principal.

Now comes the largest financial crisis of the last several generations, and we have to cut back. But it seems the cutbacks are different depending on how much funding the school is entitled to. Oddly enough, the schools that are showing that they can get by with little added funding now get even less.

Frankly, I’m mad as hell—at everyone.

I’m mad at politicians in Sacramento who just don’t get that they can’t be everything to everyone. They’ve held up the budget so long we’re now facing budget deficits far into this year and making cuts that should have been made last year

I’m mad at UTLA. While the other unions are at least willing to sit at a table and discuss being a partner to address the district’s budget woes, the union is now advocating a one-day strike during state-mandated testing. They’re willing to have their pay docked for a day while they strike, but they won’t sit down and discuss the same day’s pay as part of a furlough with other unions. When UTLA talking head AJ Duffy talks about cutting LAUSD district office or central office “fat” he fails to mention that those same jobs he wants to cut are held by former teachers who thanks to bumping rights are headed back to our schools.

I’m mad at LA’s Mayor Villaraigosa. I couldn’t figure out why *he’d* come out in favor of wage cuts, until I read that the schools most likely to be adversely affected by the bumping rights are the schools in his little empire. If he can’t get teachers talking about salary freezes and wage cuts, he’s going to be running for governor with yet another major failure to his credit.

And I’m mad at other parents who just say throw more money at the mess and make it all go away—for now. What’s become so painfully clear in recent weeks is how top heavy the district is, and that no amount of paring will resolve that. If we don’t fix this system, we’ll be back to this next year, with less to show for it. If we vote for the tax increases, no one learns--not the politicians, not the unions, not the bureaucrats, no one.

And I’m mad at taxpayers for voting for bond issue after bond issue without ever asking for a real accounting as to where the money went. Whether for moving full-steam ahead on sites with oil fields under them or newly discovered fault lines; or for continuing to build and holding “update” meetings where far more staffers attend than community members, no one asked the obvious questions. With declining enrollments in so many areas, what are we building and for whom?

And I’m mad at a district that essentially says if a school isn’t over 1000 kids and has 40+ percent free lunch applicants, there isn’t enough money in the equation to save a single teacher. My daughter’s perfect-sized 440 student school will receive a whopping $29,000 to offset the loss of three or more teachers. We already have NO aides, and many positions will be going to half-time or less—our Assistant Principal, our librarian, our cafeteria staff, and our custodial crews.

And I’m mad at other parents for not educating themselves on these issues before they tilt at windmills. We’re still accepting what we’re being given, and not demanding the best education for our kids. Or we’re being used as pawns in other groups’ games. Why is it that great school districts like Conejo Valley Unified or Simi Valley Unified can manage small schools without Title I funds and without PI funds? How can we be leaner and still be a contender?

The whole system has to change. People who leave the classroom should not have bumping rights for years. I can see a short grace period to see if the new position is workable to the employee, but what happens when someone comes back to the classroom after years in the Ivory Tower of Beaudry and now has to catch up with all the new procedures and techniques?

I’m not for blowing through the entire stimulus in a year—certainly not before we start looking at the causes of the problem to begin with. And if we blow through the stimulus this year, whose fault will it be next year when we’re out of money and out of options? We have to face there will be larger classes--and teachers will be let go. It's NOT the fault of parents.

We have more than one stake in this game. As taxpayers we pay for this ridiculous system. Public education is hardly free. As parents we provide our children to the system so that the district exists at all. Yet, we don’t have a union. We don’t have campaign war chests. We’re simply parents. Yet we are the customers. We have to realize that we have the power to be equals in this equation. So our "Network" moment requires sticking our heads into the schools, contacting the media, and telling them we aren't going to take it anymore.

It’s time to find a system that works. If that means breaking the entire district up, starting over, or storming Sacramento, I’m ready to do it. If it means talking about going charter, I’m willing to do it. Will the other integers of education, come with us? I don’t know, but they’re clearly outnumbered. Do we want to partner with them? Maybe. If they're willing to partner with us.

Give Schools Real Choices

Angelmom — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:21:45 +0000

As the Los Angeles Unified school board considers tough decisions this
week, including cutting 8,400 jobs, increasing class size, and gutting offices
and well-regarded programs, there’s an uneasiness at the school sites.

Some schools are waiting hopefully for stimulus money from the federal
government bailout to stem the cuts. Of course, thanks to Congress, much of the
federal money is tied to schools that qualify for Title I funding, or special
funding that schools get if they have a large proportion of poor students. And
so some schools are expecting the worst — no help, or next-to no help.

Supt. Ramon Cortines’ budget plan is based on a bare-bones education
system where individual school sites can then take their categorical funds and
choose, say a math coach or extra teachers’ aides.

From my point of view, that is completely backwards. Instead of looking
at the struggling schools and encouraging them to spend even more money, the
district should be looking for those diamonds in the rough: schools that do well
academically, but get by on only the leanest budgets possible.

These are elementary schools where teachers, parents and administrators
do work together. They speak languages other than English at home, many spend
their afternoons in the free afterschool supervision program, or perhaps the
on-site YMCA.

These schools typically have about 500 students, and are found
all over L.A. — Overland, Ivanhoe, Castlebay, Woodland Hills Elementary, to name
a few. They all garner 9s or 10s on the infamous
GreatSchools<NO1>cq<NO> Ratings.

Yet they all have to fundraise inordinate amounts to pay for the most
basic necessities.

Sadly, these schools might not qualify for funds under Cortines’ plan
because their student bodies aren’t qualified as poor enough, or they don’t have
enough English language learners or they do have the utter audacity to make
their yearly No Child Left Behind progress numbers. Indeed, some of these
schools have APIs hovering around or surpassing the 900 mark.

As a result, schools that already can afford teachers’ aides and math
or reading coaches because they get special funds for poorer schools will get
even more money to spend as they see fit, perhaps choosing to hire an additional
teacher or supplementing the classroom with additional aides.

When there are so few funds that new library books are a thing of the
past and the school site council is in the unenviable position of choosing
between toner for the photocopier and toilet paper for its students, it’s
frustrating to hear about our new decision-making process and how many “choices”
we’ll have.

With the impending student-to-teacher ratio increases to 24:1 in the
K-3 classes, my daughter’s school would have three open classrooms. Why not
allow schools to increase enrollment at these schools and thereby share what
they’re doing right?

Each year these diamond-in-the rough schools turn away dozens of
families through the lottery process. Why not entrust schools to choose if they
want to bring back grades 6 through 8 in a smaller community and stem the
currently inevitable slide of API scores from elementary to middle school? Why
not give these schools a real taste of funding so that they can possibly have
toner <CF11>and</CF> toilet paper?

It’s supposed to be about the kids. Think of how much more time we
could donate to the schools if we didn’t have to scramble for operating money
and didn’t have to spend weeks planning carnivals, giftwrap sales, silent
auctions, and other money raising events.

I think about it every day,
actually. But I’m just a parent of a child who loves her school, and I only get
to help make the decisions once the money gets to the campus.

Martinez/Pugliese Close, Zimmer Seems a Lock

Angelmom — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:05:44 +0000

Nury Martinez is sitting on a mere 500 vote lead in the School Board District 6 LAUSD race. With nearly 25,000 votes counted, the LA City Clerk will likely have to count provisional ballots and absentee votes before the outcome is settled.

On the Westside, Steve Zimmer has enough of a lead to hold back parent activist choice Mike Stryer, 56% to nearly 44%.

While Villaraigosa might have only received 55% of the vote in a field where he was virtually uncontested, he managed to fill two more seats with members sympathetic to his cause(s).

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Angelmom — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:59:25 +0000

I'm really hoping that as the numbers from Sacramento and Washington become clearer quickly, and that LAUSD--the board members AND the Superintendent really put everything on the table.

Several parent groups have begun the sad realization that the bloodletting at Beaudry and the local districts will cause an influx of senior teachers and administrators who are legally allowed to return to their former positions if their current desk job gets eliminated. For schools with fab teachers and phenom principals, this is a frightening proposition. And one, thanks to union contracts, we can not protest, picket, or media frenzy our way out of.

I've been hearing parents discuss what they believe their deal breakers are: 20:1, loss of teacher's assistants, shortened school year, over testing, etc. Given the economy though, and talking to friends who work or have kids attending private schools, I seriously doubt there will be too big a flux to the private schools.

But now that the district has numbers, I hope they put ALL the options on the table. How much does cutting 5 days at the end of the year save? How much does cutting Beaudry by 30% and the local districts by 50% save? Or should it be 50% at Beaudry and 30% at the local districts? And adding four more kids to a classroom saves the district what? When all the options are on the table, we could more readily accept the outcome. Of course, when you're trying to cut 15% this year, and an additional 4% next year (after a big cut last year) there's not a lot to cut that doesn't affect kids.

My questions, though,

Why not let the schools with active open enrollment seek more families to (without overcrowding)? More kids would bring economies of scale, and if a school community is providing a product that families both in the community and outside the boundaries want to be a part of, the district should embrace that--study it even. And going 24:1 will no doubt free classroom space at most schools, which brings me to my second question.

With the increased school site control and decision making, are we going to be able to bring sixth, seventh, and eighth grades back to create span schools? Two schools slated for the Valley are already span schools, and I know many parents who'd give their eye teeth to keep their kids at the elementary school to avoid junior high completely.

It's an interesting time to be a parent, perhaps even a frightening time, but I'm thankful I will have a voice in it.