| LAUSD to Deny Permits to Better Schools |  |  |
| SCHOOL SHOCKER By David Coffin  The rubber has finally hit road.Despite all their posturing, Money does matter more than your child’s educational opportunities in the Los Angeles Unified School District and there is no more stunning example of that than the school board vote last month that quietly authorized the policy change behind our backs. They want their $9,500 back even when it means your child will be forced to enroll in one of the districts substandard schools. Because the district is facing a $640 million shortfall, the LAUSD is gearing up to deny up to 80% of the transfer permits it currently extends to thousands of Los Angeles students who have sought better academic opportunities outside of the district. Parents don’t make these Herculean efforts to obtain transfer permits out of the LAUSD without a good reason. In Westchester/Playa del Rey for example the local high school here has failed to meet the states AYP (Average yearly progress) for 10 years running. In 1999 the school was already well below the 50th percentile earning a dismal “4″ in the states ranking system where 10 is best. Since then, Westchester High Schools ranking has dropped to a “1″ where it rests at the bottom 10% of the states schools. For many parents, the districts announcement will likely result in their children being pulled from excellent public schools ranked in the top 30% in the state and dragged into schools ranked in the lower 40%. While this may monetarily benefit the district it could have serious consequences for other districts and the state. Students enrolled in smaller surrounding districts cost the state roughly $8000 per student per year. If these students are denied permits by the LAUSD and forced to enroll in LAUSD schools, the cost to the state will go up by fifteen hundred dollars per student to $9500. The boards vote also flies in the face of the goals set by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was enacted by congress to offer parents public school choice when their neighborhood school fails to meet academic expectations and annual yearly progress. NCLB provides that if a school fails to meet academic milestones (AYP) the district must offer students another choice of school within the district. However, what happens if well over 50% of the districts high schools are on the states watch list because they are failing |
