Is the Pilot Planned for Venice High School Good or Bad?

In the past few years, much energy and attention has gone into the Venice family of schools--the Venice Renaissance. In part due to economic forces, Westside families are returning to public schools and the impact has been positive. These families have worked with the LAUSD teachers and principals to re-energize our public schools. Starting in the elementary schools like Coeur d'Alene, Walgrove, Westminster, Broadway and others, the wave of engagement has hit the middle schools, Mark Twain and Marina Del Rey, just recently. These students are now about to descend upon Venice HS. Suddenly, the pilot is being expedited without giving parents and teachers the fair opportunity to review the proposal and its potential impacts on the Venice family of schools--including middle school enrollment. 

The west side has suffered more from charter co-locations than anywhere else in the country. Will a district-backed pilot be better or worse? The community deserves a fair chance to review the proposal and give the LAUSD school board its thoughts before they vote. A vote now gives the perception that the school board is just rubber stamping a backdoor deal between the union and the pilot school. You will hear the claim that it won't be possible for the pilot to start in August if it isn't approved this week, so there isn't time for community review. The truth is that the pilot school has been making plans for a long time and parent review could have happened a long time ago. They have cancelled public meetings that would have given the community a chance to review the plans. Parents should not suffer so that they can meet their deadline. 

If you agree, you can write to the school board and ask them to postpone the vote so that information about the pilot can be reviewed.  marguerite.lamotte@lausd.net monica.garcia@lausd.net
tamar.galatzan@lausd.net szimmer@lausd.net bennett.kasyer@lausd.net  nury.martinez@lausd.net richard.vladovic@lausd.net

Send a signal to these innovators that parents and students come first no matter what.