New L.A. schools chief favors steady progress and collaboration over drastic change
New Supt. Michelle King says of L.A. Unified: "I see the district as having ... pockets of success, and I see building on the achievements we have. And then I see areas we want to strengthen." (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles' beleaguered school system doesn't need the aggressive shake-up some critics have called for so much as consistent, steady progress and collaboration, new schools Supt. Michelle King said in a meeting Thursday with The Times.
In her first extended interview since taking office this week, King talked more about the "listening" she intends to do in coming weeks than specific decisions she may make, suggesting that she'll take a cautious, measure-twice, cut-once approach to problems at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
"I see the district as having ... pockets of success, and I see building on the achievements we have," she said. "And then I see areas we want to strengthen."
That diplomatic style was clearly part of what won over school board members, who voted 7 to 0 to hire her this week after a five-month, nationwide search. She replaces Ramon C. Cortines, who retired in December.
King said she would not depart from current, defining board policies, including a mandate to limit suspensions and a push to make all graduates eligible to apply to a state college. The key, she said, is to resist one-size-fits-all solutions for schools.
"I stay away from: This is the way; this is the bullet," she said.
Some of the district's detractors are impatient with King's seeming patience. They point to lagging student achievement, financial problems, drift in the instruction division, a divided, sometimes fractious board, and a recent history of failed or abandoned initiatives, such as one to deliver an iPad to every student.New L.A. schools chief favors steady progress and collaboration over drastic change - LA Times:
