Opening the Doors for Change: Yolie Urges the Adoption of Supt. Cortines' Recommendations for Public School Choice

Los Angeles Unified School District School Board Vice President Yolie Flores has commended Superintendent Ramon Cortines and his staff for their thorough review of the applicant proposals for the operation of 24 new schools and 12 existing “focus” schools on the eve of the School Board’s historic vote on Public School Choice. The Board’s vote this Tuesday is the culmination of the first round of this school reform process, which began when the Board of Education passed the Public School Choice resolution in August 2009.

“We have a historic opportunity to place high value – first and foremost – on quality education for all students. Not one school and not one student should have anything less. This has and continues to be my unwavering commitment.”

Expert review panels, an advisory vote process, and Superintendent Ramon Cortines’ experience over five decades in public education led to the recommendations that are now before the Board.

“Although there were initial challenges with the advisory vote process, the rigorous review process by multiple panels, consisting of individuals representing parents, higher education, district professionals, unions and charter operators has resulted in some exceptional recommendations by Superintendent Cortines,” said Flores “We have flung our doors wide open and invited partners to join our movement for transformation. The recommendations from Superintendent Cortines balance the voice of our parents and community with the best action plans for change.”

The Public School Choice motion introduced by Board Vice President Flores is a result of too many schools failing to meet the basic education needs of thousands of LAUSD students and failure to show significant improvements in academic performance and increased graduation rates over the years. Since its passage, the process has engaged thousands of parents, students, and community members in ways not seen previously in LAUSD. It has also created key partnerships with civic organizations, such as United Way, League of Women Voters, Families in Schools, the L.A. Chamber of Commerce, and others.

“This process has energized and provided the catalyst for hundreds of LAUSD teachers and administrators to put forth ideas and best practices they had been eager to implement but had been shelved because of archaic and bureaucratic rules or because of a culture of mediocrity,” said Flores. “Also, we are increasing our ability to learn from high quality charter schools and galvanizing the power of parents to take action on the quality of their child’s education.”

“Throughout this process, I have met with parents, grandparents, and foster parents. They all want change; they all want quality education for their children as soon as possible. We may not all agree on the ‘how’ – but we agree that change must happen now. I hope my colleagues on the board will focus on the merits of the proposals,” said Flores. “The proposals recommended by Superintendent Cortines represent the best action plans to improve student achievement, collaborate with parents, and result in long-term transformation for the entire school community. This is the beginning of greater expectations for all our schools. We should not squander this opportunity.”

Moving forward, Flores has urged a deliberate and robust review of the process, particularly the parent engagement and capacity-building efforts to help parents better understand the current educational system, the need for these and other reforms that will guarantee great schools for all students, and the choices that they have.

Change is on the way. . . But we have to do better

This past August, the LAUSD Board of Education passed the Public School Choice Resolution, a reform effort designed to shake up the status quo by challenging our own institution to offer up significantly better educational plans for failing schools and new schools. By inviting proposals from teacher groups, charters, and other non-profit educational groups, we created the conditions for interested stakeholders to put forth their best thinking and creativity to offer a quality education to all of our students.

As never before, the leadership of the District – namely Superintendent Cortines and his management team – embraced this reform effort and, together, they have worked diligently to implement the resolution with integrity and transparency.

Further, this process has engaged thousands of parents, students, and community members in ways not seen previously in LAUSD. We have also become a less insular organization by partnering with civic organizations, such as United Way, League of Women Voters, Families in Schools, the L.A. Chamber of Commerce, and others. And, perhaps more importantly, the process has energized and empowered hundreds of LAUSD teachers and administrators to put forth ideas and best practices they had been eager to implement but had been shelved because of archaic and bureaucratic rules or because of a culture of mediocrity that had become the way of life at LAUSD. Urgency has become the new watchword at LAUSD

Indeed, Public School Choice is bringing about exciting change at LAUSD on behalf of kids.

Simultaneously though, and not unexpectedly, the forces most resistant to change are hitting hard and, in some instances, even using despicable and unethical tactics to ensure that the status quo lives on. We have seen flyers to immigrant parents telling them they could be deported if they sign a charter petition; and parents have shared with me that some LAUSD employees are telling them that other operators will charge them tuition and the cost of meals, that an LAUSD high school diploma will no longer be valid, that their special needs children or English learners will not be serviced, or that their children will be kicked out of school if they do not perform well on tests. Other parents have shared that charters are paying parents to sign charter petitions. These lies, manipulations, and fear tactics are disheartening, deplorable, and an affront to those who want see the best for our children.

History has shown that there will always be those who look to thwart the Democratic process. With Public School Choice, this has been evident by those that have maligned competitor proposals and spread falsehoods rather than compete on the merits of their own proposals. This is politics as usual and why the advisory vote has had the potential to go awry. Our intention was and is to give parents the opportunity to have a voice in this process and engage them in the education of their children. It is about accountability. What we owe our parents is straightforward information, an understanding of best practices, an unbiased explanation of each plan, and a process to have their interests heard – not a vote influenced by fear and rhetoric. This approach is an insult to their capacity and right to make an informed decision for themselves and their children.

We knew going in that the process would be less than perfect, particularly the first time out, but we refused to let that deter us from taking bold action. Given where we are, the Board and Mr. Cortines must celebrate the change that is occurring, and at the same time embrace the lessons learned to improve the process for the next cycle.

To start, we must have a more thoughtful parent engagement process that truly and objectively builds the capacity of parents to understand the current system, learn about educational best practices, and know the pros and cons for the choices they have. Then we must develop a less politicized and more streamlined process to hear the voices of parents, students, teachers, and others.

Second, Mr. Cortines must develop and carry out real consequences for violating the rules he has set up for the Public School Choice process – including, if necessary, disqualifying plans that come from those violating the rules. He must also ensure that no one has an unfair advantage and that he specifies clear conflict of interest activity for internal and external applicants, as well as how we will hold everyone accountable for their actions.

Finally, we must have an improved community outreach and communication plan to continue to build public will for the reforms that our children deserve.

This is a historic time for LAUSD. As singer and songwriter Seal says, “change is gonna come.” But we must overcome the resistance to change and stand strong, making our decisions based solely on what is good for all students.