LA school board votes to file suit seeking to overturn "takeover" legislation

As anticipated the Los Angeles school board has voted 6-1 to file suit to overturn legislation giving Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa substantial authority over Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) schools. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the legislation by the end of the month. "It makes sense to avoid implementing changes that could later be declared unconstitutional," school board president Marlene Canter argues in a statement. "As a number of interested parties have urged, we will ask the courts to review this measure and to determine the constitutionality of these provisions as quickly as possible." The interested parties are the 10th District Parent Teacher Student Association, the official parent organization for much of the school system, and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA), the union representing LAUSD administrators. The teacher’s union, along with other labor groups, has backed the bill. "I'm disappointed," says A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. "They're dragging this out. One way or the other, we're going to change the playing field as it pertains to education and the delivery of services to students, and they're just stalling the inevitable." The mayor’s office echoes that sentiment. "It's unfortunate that the Los Angeles school board would choose to use taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit to obstruct reforming our public schools," says the mayor’s spokeswoman Janelle Erickson. "On this first day back to school, our children and parents deserve more. They deserve a school board who will join with Mayor Villaraigosa and the coalition of reformers committed to turning our public schools around." The bill also would give Mr. Villaraigosa direct authority over three high schools, as yet unnamed, and their feeder schools. The mayor's office has requested information on six high schools, district sources say.

Los Angeles Times
By Howard Blume
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