CommentsEDUCATION POLITICS--Ref Rodriguez appears in court today to delay answering for felony charges related to campaign money laundering. He has complicatedlegal problemsthat collectively beg the question of whya gentleman of such alleged moral turpitude should retain his school board seat. (Photo above: Ref Rodriguez, center.)
But his day in court has been kicked down the road which is convenient to those who would anoint our next Superintendent: Rodriguez holds a swing-vote. Having resisted thehueand cryfor his resignation, it is clear he is needed for a bigger purpose: installing permanent Leadership that favors those holding the purse strings, and without answering to the public.
A closed BOE meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at which it is believed the Superintendent may be selected, but you may yet weigh in, if only tangentially – amplify the characteristics needed (lol)in the next Leader of LAUSD, as identified by the last Superintendent search.
And what was identified last time?
It was decided, wisely, that what LAUSD needs is:
- an educator, a unifier, a leader with vision who can tackle the difficult problems facing the district, someone who would support teachers, someone who can support charter schools, someone who could solidify labor peace.
Vivian Ekchian, hand-selected by our last Superintendent for precisely such qualities, is the only current candidate who satisfies these conditions.
This is really important folks: phone your school board member's office TODAY! (4/30/18) and tell them as much:
District 1 ~ Dr. George J. McKenna III: 213-241-6382
District 2 ~ Mónica García: 213-241-6180
District 3 ~ Scott Schmerelson: 213-241-8333
District 4 ~ Nick Melvoin: 213-241-6387
District 5 ~ Ref Rodriguez: 213-241-5555
District 6 ~ Kelly Gonez: 213-241-5555
District 7 ~ Dr. Richard Vladovic: 213-241-6385
It appears there is an unseemly effort to install a Superintendent before Mr. Rodriguez' legal problems overwhelm him. But such hastiness is not only imprudent but unnecessary, given the excellent choice at handin Dr. Ekchian.
(Sara Roos is a politically active resident of Mar Vista, a biostatistician, the parent of two teenaged LAUSD students and a CityWatch contributor, who blogs at redqueeninla.com).
-cw
