July 3, 2006

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who made as one of his key campaign proposals mayoral control of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), struck a deal after long negotiations and a 90-minute meeting in Sacramento at the capitol with key legislators, California Teacher Association (CTA), United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), and parents to give the mayor power, but not sole authority over the public school system. This is being considered a very bold step in school reform. Central to this compromise is the formation of a new community coalition for change that includes teachers, parents, principals, and the community.

Villaraigosa said, “I did not get everything I wanted, but in exchange, our teacher unions made an historic commitment to reform. The bill is a compromise. But it’s a great deal for our kids.”

The legislation that is being proposed as a result of the compromise will do the following:

Give the mayor direct oversight and control over three clusters of the lowest performing schools in LAUSD. These are three high schools and all the feeder schools.

Create a “Council of Mayors” responsible for reviewing the district’s budget and coordinating the delivery of essential services for kids, such as after-school programs and campus safety. (LAUSD is comprised of 27 municipalities of which Los Angeles is one, but it provides approximately 80 percent of the students.)

Give the “Council of Mayors” a central role in the selection and ultimate ratification of the school district superintendent.

Provide for expanded authority for the school superintendent to lead and manage systemic change including personnel, business operations, budgeting and the facilities program.

Preserve a role for the school board as a policy making body focused on student achievement and not the day-to-day operations of the school system.

Grant teachers and principals greater on'site control to choose state approved instructional materials and shape classroom instruction.

Include a six-year sunset provision with the opportunity to extend the reforms and final evaluations under established education criteria.

The proposed legislation reflects the contents of the agreement and is expected to be addressed by the state’s legislature over the next several weeks.

This historic agreement is opposed by LA School Superintendent Roy Romer and the LAUSD school board. They may decide once the legislation passes to go to court to halt the changes. UTLA President A.J. Duffy said after the agreement, “It just became clear that we are standing on the same piece of ground.”

One major change coming as a result of this agreement, according to Villaraigosa, is that “…school reform will no longer be debated primarily in the remote and nearly visible realm of school board contests, but will become part of the daily discussion in the mainstream media of L.A. mayoral races.” The mayor has wanted for a long time to include education as part of the larger policy discussion of issues the affect the city. This is another opportunity to do so and connect the related services provided to all children.

Reflecting back on why education is so important and what this means for the city and students, Villaraigosa stated, “The proposal reflects a common consensus that our schools are in a dire state of crisis and that we can’t continue to conduct business as usual. Fixing our schools is the fundamental civil rights issue of our time. We will not prosper if we allow the state’s largest school district to languish in mediocrity This plan reflects the necessity for all of us to get out from behind our traditional defenses and partisan fortifications, to lock arms as one city and to try things a new way.”

Until the proposed legislation is passed and signed, it is not clear what will be in the final role for the mayor in education as well as the school board and superintendent. The intent of the changes is to cut the bureaucracy, increase accountability and achievement, create greater flexibility, and to empower educators and parents.