LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy's contract
extended to 2016
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
By Christina Salvo and Miriam Hernandez
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Unified School District board on Tuesday extended Superintendent John Deasy's contract through 2016. There had been speculation Deasy was prepared to resign next year.
Deasy met with the school board Tuesday and was expected to publicly comment on his future with the district after the meeting.
Eyewitness News received confirmation last Thursday from the school board that Deasy told them he would resign by February. However, Deasy told Eyewitness News in a text message on Friday that he had not submitted his resignation and he would not speak until after the board review meeting. The public session started at 12:30 p.m. and the closed-door session started at 3 p.m.
Deasy's supporters and opponents lined up at the LAUSD headquarters to make last minute pleas to sway the board.
Deasy came on board two years ago with a very ambitious agenda. Some of his highest priorities included raising test scores, reducing truancy and improving the graduation rate.
LAUSD reports that there has been a gradual trend toward improvement, but Deasy himself has admitted he has not hit the mark on many of his goals.
Deasy has come under fire for his controversial proposal to equip every student in the nation's second largest school district with an iPad. The plan, which came with a $1 billion price tag, failed within days of launching after students figured out how to bypass the security settings.
For those in favor of pushing Deasy out of his superintendent post, the iPad flap is a prime target. Walter Richardson with the California Title One Parent Union said he feels the plan was a waste of money.
Ryan Smith with United Way believes Deasy should stay on the job.
"Today, we've organized parents, teacher, students and community that we're in favor of the leadership of Dr. John Deasy. He's increased graduation rates, he's ensured that more students are going to school each day," Smith said. "We see attendance rates go up, we see less suspension. I think the district is going in the right direction under his leadership."
One of the groups pushing for Deasy's resignation is United Teachers of Los Angeles. They believe Deasy's leadership is not taking the district in the right direction. In an April poll from UTLA, the majority of its members had no confidence in his leadership.
UTLA President Warren Fletcher said the iPads debacle was just part of it.
"We teachers welcome technology, but we need to make sure it makes sense. We need to make sure it works," said Fletcher.
On the other hand, leaders from Los Angeles' philanthropic and entertainment communities sent a letter to the LAUSD school board Monday night urging them to do all they could to keep Deasy and what they call his student-centered agenda in place.
(Copyright ©2013 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
BREAKING: Deasy offers to resign in Feb, stay
available as consultant in proposed settlement #lausd
Saint Deasy Flash Mob
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Saint Deasy Flash Mob
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