Resolution process moving forward
Yesterday, LA Unified released the list of organizations who have filed letters of intent to run schools under the Public School Choice resolution. The list is quite long, and should excite anyone who cares about improving our schools. Over 180 total letters of intent – from a wide variety of potential operators – were submitted for both currently underperforming and newly opening LAUSD campuses. Interest came groups as diverse as community based organizations, high quality charter operators, local groups of teachers and parents, UTLA, and the Mayor’s Partnership for LA Schools.
It’s nothing short of inspiring to see so many groups get seriously committed about improving educational outcomes for the children of LAUSD. But this process is just beginning, and there is much work left to be done before it can actually bring positive change to our schools. We at the Parent Revolution remain committed to ensuring every decision made in this process is first and foremost about children and what will best serve them. That means all operators – charters included – must commit to accepting attendance boundaries and serving every child. It means that the District has to give charters and others the necessary autonomy and freedoms to achieve success and produce real change. And it means that parents must be truly and honestly informed about their choices, not fed lies, scare tactics, or ridiculous propaganda.
This resolution and its continuing progress is a historic opportunity for LAUSD, but it has not yet actually changed the life of one child. Today, we can take a moment and applaud the diverse variety of groups who are fighting to doing the hard work of educating our children and bringing real change to a District desperately in need. Tomorrow, we must return to work, vigilant in our insistence that this process remains about children and children only, and actually brings the change they so desperately need.
