East LA Debate: D2 Challengers Pile On LAUSD - LA School Report

East LA Debate: D2 Challengers Pile On LAUSD - LA School Report:

East LA Debate: D2 Challengers Pile On LAUSD

by Hillel Aron

District 2 candidates onstage at last night’s El Sereno event.

Challengers at last night’s District 2 debate in El Sereno rarely invoked School Board President Monica Garcia‘s name, even though she was sitting there onstage with them.
But they attacked the incumbent indirectly, with vehement criticisms of LAUSD policies and decisions (regarding standardized tests,  charters schools and budget cuts) as well as Superintendent John Deasy, who was appointed by the School Board.
Throughout the evening, Garcia defended her record and the district’s progress in recent years, ignoring most of the criticism.
“We have improved the district, she said, touting rising graduate rates and test scores. “We have improved the student outcomes. We are not satisfied.”

New Setting, New Rules
The rules for this event were different from the ones that have governed previous candidates forums that have