A warrior for our kids is how Dr. Robert Ross described Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy a month ago when the California Endowment announced a $50 million investment in students of color attending LAUSD.
Under Deasy’s leadership, LAUSD has seen important gains across the board in student achievement. The District has improved student test scores and other student success indicators such as the number of students accessing college preparation courses. It has also reduced student drop-out rates and truancy rates.
The District is embarking on a massive roll out of professional development and technology tools that will prepare teachers and students to implement the new, and more rigorous, state education Common Core standards and student assessments. The District is also preparing its Local Control Accountability Plan, as part of the Local Control Funding Formula that was passed by the State Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this year.
We believe that Superintendent Deasy has the unique skills and commitment necessary to move the District forward on each of these topics. The leadership of the business community and the nonprofit community strongly supports Superintendent Deasy and we encourage the School Board to meet with him immediately to work out a plan to continue his tenure as our Superintendent of Schools.
Firing Superintendent Deasy, or making his life so miserable that he has no choice but to leave, is not in the best interests of the students of Los Angeles. It is imperative that the School Board make every effort to retain one of the top superintendents in the country.