Los Angeles: Vote for Scott Schmerelson and Patricia Castellanos for LAUSD School Board
Control of the Los Angeles Unified School District is up for grabs in the 2020 election.
You can be sure that the LAUSD prioritizes public schools by voting for incumbent Scott Schmerelson and newcomer Patricia Castellanos.
The issue now is the same issue that has drawn a sharp divide on the school board for the past decade. Will the schools be controlled by a cabal of billionaires who favor privatization by charter schools or will it be controlled by people who are dedicated to the public schools of Los Angeles, which enroll 80 percent of the district’s children?
The charter lobby supports privatization and high-stakes testing for students and teachers.
California state law defines charter schools as “public schools” because the law was written by charter lobbyists. They have private management, private boards, and they are almost entirely free from scrutiny by public agencies; due to lack of oversight, several charter executives in California have been arrested and convicted of embezzlement from school funds. Lack of oversight explains why so many charters felt empowered to apply for and receive federal Paycheck Protection Program money as “small businesses.” They are charter schools when it is time to collect money available only to public schools, then they shape shift into “small businesses” or “non-profits” when it is time to collect money that is not available to public schools. That is called “double dipping.” It is wrong. It is unethical.
The charter industry is powerful in California due to the CONTINUE READING: Los Angeles: Vote for Scott Schmerelson and Patricia Castellanos for LAUSD School Board | Diane Ravitch's blog