L.A. Board of Education will weigh Broad charter-expansion plan
Members of the Los Angeles Board of Education will be under pressure to take a position on a controversial plan to expand local charter schools because of a resolution being introduced at its meeting this week.
The measure, sponsored by board member Scott Schmerelson, calls for the district to go on record against the expansion, which would move half of district students into charter schools over the next eight years. The charter plan is being spearheaded by the locally based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. Efforts to develop and fund the plan were disclosed by The Times.
The resolution, which needs four votes to pass, states that the school board “opposes the Broad Foundation plan and all initiatives that present a strategy designed to serve some students and not all students.”
Under board rules, a resolution first is introduced for public review, then voted on at a later meeting, typically the next one.
Behind the scenes, the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, has been urging the board to take action and found a sponsor in Schmerelson, a retired administrator who was elected with substantial financial backing from the union. School board president Steve Zimmer also is on record against the Broad proposal. Three other board members—Richard Vladovic, Monica Ratliff and George McKenna—have expressed reservations about the charter expansion. And two board members—Monica Garcia and Ref Rodriguez—said they support giving parents choices that include charters as well as strong programs in district-run schools.
Teachers unions and their allies have squared off with Broad and his supporters in recent and costly school board elections. Additionally, the union does not support the types of changes and accountability measures favored by Broad and some influential foundations. Most charters are non-union.
State law requires L.A. Unified to approve valid petitions for new charter schools, so it isn’t clear what powers the board would have to stop the expansion. About 16% of district students attend charters.
The Broad Foundation has defended its plan as an effort to provide more students with a high-quality education. A spokeswoman characterized a written version obtained by The Times as a "preliminary discussion draft.” Some local charters have L.A. Board of Education will weigh Broad charter-expansion plan - LA Times:
