Here’s what we can do to redefine public education

THE PLAN

Kids New Deal

A Kids New Deal (You know, for KIDS!)

I will transform the “Kids First” sound bite into an actual Civil Right that is codified into LAUSD policy — essentially a Kids New Deal.  

It will be the first new educational civil rights policy in the country since Brown Vs. Board of Education. This policy will make ALL kids a protected class and  it will refocus how the school board evaluates and approves policy. It will open up the doors to implementing change in schools and create transparency in the process. It will bring equity across the district by making sure kids and parents voices are and integral part of the process. 

Making change in the 2nd largest school system in the county has, until this point, seemed impossible. BUT when I am elected I will be the deciding vote on the board for this and many other ideas. It WILL happen. 

And this is just a start…

Make LCAP Local

LCAP reform (Local Control Accountability Plan).

I will work to empower individual public schools to set their LCAP goals for themselves.

Every year all CA schools are required by law to set 5 goals in a plan for improved outcomes and college readiness called an LCAP. This helps set funding and spending accountability and helps determine how best to spend those funds based on the districts local needs. This was meant to give more control to local schools to help communities feel empowered to make choices in their schools that are right for their kids needs.

Unfortunately, LAUSD is only required to make a single plan for the 1200 plus schools in the district so that’s all that they do! How can the same 5 goals be right for all 1200 schools that have very different needs?

Each school would have an LCAP committee that would be made up of administrators and teachers and parents and even kids. This would give them much more control over how they spend their funds based on their own school’s needs. This would increase efficiency and transparency. It would also give the stakeholders in each school more power to do what’s best for their kids.

Special Ed Reform

SELPA Funding Reform (Special Education Local Planning Area)

I will fight for a system that funds special education on the basis of what it costs in today’s world.

The funding mechanisms for special education in CA school districts (SELPAs) makes no sense and were defined in the late 1970s based on the special education needs and costs of that time. They were revised in the late 1990s but still left a flawed system.

Special education in LAUSD schools is underfunded by half! That’s because different districts get different funding based on a 20+ year old definition of what SPED (Special Education) costs were in those areas when the SELPAs were first defined.

We need more funding and more support for kids and teachers and classrooms NOW! LAUSD is the 2nd largest school district in the country — if we don’t have leverage to push and make REAL change, I don’t know who does.