L.A. school board calls for moratorium on new local charter schools
Los Angeles school officials made good on a deal with the teachers union on Tuesday, bringing forward and passing a resolution that calls for a local moratorium on new charter schools until their impact can be studied.
The resolution is non-binding for state officials, but it was vigorously opposed by charter supporters — more than 1,000 turned out to protest at district headquarters. The resolution was one product of a deal to end this month’s six-day teachers’ strike.
Earlier in the same meeting on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously approved a contract with the teachers’ union, despite a warning from an oversight agency that the costs of it are “unsustainable.”
Just before school board members voted, they received a report from the L.A. County Office of Education, which provides financial oversight for local school districts. While the agency stopped short of urging a rejection of the new contract, it did issue a warning, saying the district would have to submit a revised three-year budget plan that meets the county’s parameters.
Under the new contract, the school system appears to be unable to meet all of its budget obligations. The pact is “not sustainable on an ongoing basis,” according to the county agency’s analysis.
If the district does not take the necessary steps to avoid financial risk, then the county agency can appoint a fiscal advisor who will have the authority to override district spending decisions.
The sober analysis did not prevent the L.A. school board from approving the new contract quickly and with little discussion.
L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said he was well aware of the district’s financial challenges— indeed, he had repeatedly called attention to them during contract negotiations. Still, he said, the contract was the right step forward and that all parties had compromised to get to an agreement. Resolving the labor conflict would allow all groups to focus on shared challenges, such as cutting costs, winning more revenue from the state and voter initiatives.
“We are at a historic moment to start addressing these issues,” Beutner said. “This contract is not an end. It is a beginning.”
Board member Nick Melvoin said the district would have to make sure that its budget remained solvent.
“It’s up to us, collectively, to make it sustainable,” Melvoin said of the new contract.
The bigger drama inside the building and outside on the streets Tuesday was over another part of the deal that brought teachers back to the classroom this month — a resolution calling on state officials to place a moratorium on the opening of new local charter schools.
Well over 1,000 charter school supporters rallied Tuesday outside district headquarters, west of downtown.
“I felt that it was important to be here today because students and families should have the choice of where to go to school,” said Lexi Hopp, 18, a senior at Granada Hills Charter High School. “Not every school is perfect. So every school, every family, needs to have their choice of where to send their student, to have the best fit possible for them.”
Charters are privately operated public schools that compete with L.A. Unified — and with CONTINUE READING: L.A. school board calls for moratorium on new local charter schools - Los Angeles Times
