CITY HALL L.OS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90012

August I, 2006

Honorable Members of the City Council c/o Frank Martinez

City Clcrk, City of Los Angeles 200 North Spring Street, Room 360 Los Angeles, CA 900 I 2

Dear Honorable Members of the City Council:

Attached is the Final Report of the Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance. This report details over 54 specific recommendations to improve the governance ofLAUSD for City Councilmembers and School Board Mcmbers to consider. Please refer this report to the Education and Neighborhoods Committec.

Should you havc any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact mc or other Council staff members in the office of member Padilla.

Sincerely,

'l(1Á~ HA-,'CtÒ Kristine Grillo Legislative Deputy Oflcc of Councilmembcr Alex Padilla, 7'h District (! l)

i! 7/26/06 55817 PM I ' II JGLAUSDSTUDYCVRlinal.ndd 1 July 3 i, 2006

Dear Councilmembers Huizar and Padilla:

It is our pleasure to forward to you the final report of the Presidents' Joint Commission on Los Angeles Unificd School District (LAUSD) Governance. Commission members have been appointed by LAUSD School Board members, City Council officials, and the Los Angeles and other local city Mayors. This broad representation has allowed the Commission to build consensus on contentious and controversial issues surrounding governance.

Over the past 12 months our volunteer Commission has diligently explored the governance of LAUSD. During our 30 commission meetings we have heard from national and local education experts. We have reviewed the scholarly work and evaluations of governance models throughout the countr, Through i 7 community outreach meetings, we received input from over 1,000 parents, students, teachers, principals, employee unions, and other stakeholders, This report presents our findings and recommendations for your consideration,

We were able to complcte the report in the allotted one-year period as a result of the commitment of our Commissioners, the cooperation of LAUSD offcials, and the hard work of numerous City and RAND staff members who were assigned to provide us support, While this report was prepared by staff, it was reviewed, edited, and fully approved by the Commission,

In this report you will find 54 specific recommendations to improve the governance of LAUSD, We commend our recommendations for your serious and timely consideration, We are convinced that the implementation of our recommendations will help LAUSD function in a manner that engages families and improves students' pcrformance at all levels,

Sincerely,

Maria Casillas (Co-Chair) David S, Cunningham, 1l (Co-Chair)

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENTS' JOINT COMMISSION ON LAUSD GOVERL~ANCE

Maria Casilas (Co-Chair) President, Families In Schools Appointed by former LAUSD Board President, Jose Huizar (now City Councilmember)

David S. Cunningham, III (Co-Chair), Redevelopment and Land Use Attorney Appointed by former City Council President Alex Padila (now City Councilmember)

Dr. Robert Barner Assistant Superintendent, Educational Programs, Los Angeles County Offce of Education Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Bernard Parks

Ed Burke ChierorStarr, Offce of School Board Member Jon Lauritzen Appointed by LAUSD School Board Member Jon Lauritzen

Dr. Yvonne Chan Principal, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center Appointed by former Mayor James Hahn (retained by Mayor Villaraigosa)

Bil Clay Retired General Manager, AT&T Appointed by LAUSD School Board Member Marguerite LaMotte

George Cole President Pro Tern of the City of Bell City Council Appointed by the Mayors of the Cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate

Jose Cornejo Chief of Staff, Office of Coiincilmember Tony Cardenas Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Tony Cardenas

Maria Davila Mayor, City or South Gate Appointed by the Mayors or the Cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate

Donald L. Dear Former Mayor, City of Gardena Appointed by the Mayors of Carson, Lomita and Gardena

Drew Furedi Partner, The New Teacher Project Appointed by LAUSD Board President Marlene Canter

Marqueece Harris-Dawson Executive Director, Community Coalition Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmernber Erie Garcetti (now Council President)

Jerry Horowitz PrincipaL, Byrd Middle School Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Greig Smith

Cecilia Moreno Community Relations, Shell Oil Company Appointed by LAUSD School Board Member Mike Lansing

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 2 Ramon Muniz Educational Opportunity Program Admissions and Partncrship Programs Coordinator, California State University, ~orthridge Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes

Mary Rose Ortega Teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District Appointed by former Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Vilaraigosa (retaincd by Los Angeles City Councilmcmber Jose Huizar)

Erin Pak CEO, Korean Health, Education, Information and Research Center Appointed by former Los Angeles City Councilmember Martin Ludlow (retained by Los Angeles City Councilmember Herb Wesson)

Scott P. Plotkin Executive Director, California School Boards Association Appointed by the LAUSD Board of Education

Ron Prescott Retired Deputy Superintendent ofLAUSD Appointed by the LAUSD Board of Education

Mathew S. Rodman Managing Director, Furst Enterprises, Ltd. Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl

Mary Rodriguez Community and Parent Activist, Los Feliz Appointcd by Los Angeles City Councilmcmber Tom LaBongc

Julie Ruelas Councilmember, City or San Fernando Appointed by the Mayors of the Cities of Monterey Park, West Hollywood and San Fernando

Carla Sanger President and CEO. L.A.'s Best, After School Enrichment Program Appointed by former Mayor James Hahn (retaincd by Mayor Villaraigosa)

Colleen Schwab Teacher, Los Angeles Unified School Distrct Appointed by LAUSD Board Member Julie Korenstein

Camila Townsend Retired Principal, LAUSD Educational Consultant & Executive Director, Max H. Gluck Foundation Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Janice Hahn

Howard W clinsky Chair, California Postsecondary Education Commission Appointed by Los Angeles City CouncIlmember Jack Weiss

Andrew Westall Scnior Deputy, Offce of Council member Herb J. Wesson, Jr Appointed by LAUSD Board Membcr David Tokofsky

Dr. Tyree Wieder President, Los Angeles Valley College Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Wendy Greuel

Johnathan Wiliams Founder, The Accelerated School Appointed by Los Angeles City Councilmember Ian Perr

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP ...... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 5 Key Reeommendations ...... 7 ImpIementation ...... 11 Closing...... 12 INTRODUCTION ...... 13 LAUSD Context ...... 13 Genesis of the Commission...... 16 The Commission's W ork...... 18 DECENTRALIZED AUTHORITY ...... 22 Deeentralization Prineip les ...... 22 New District Strueture and Funding Meehanism...... 23 Greater SehooI Level Authority with Clusters Promoting Loeal Collaboration and Assistanee ...... 25 Important RoIe for the CentraI Distriet Offee ...... 27 Four Funetions Warrant Sbared Responsibilties ...... 29 GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ...... 30 Governanee Prin eip les...... 30 The Central Governing Board ...... 31 Collective Bargaining...... 33 MUNICIPAL INVOLVEMENT IN LAUSD ...... 34 IMPLEMENTING CHANGE ...... 36 MINORITY REPORTS ...... 37 APPENDIX A: RESOLUTION FOR ESTABLISHING COMMISSIO:\ ...... 40 APPENDIX B: LIST OF SPEAKERS ...... 43 APPENDIX C: LIST OF COMMUNITY FORUM MEETINGS...... 46

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Over the last five years, reforms initiated by the Los Angeles Unified School District

(LAUSD) Board of Education (the School Board) and implemented by the Superintendent have achieved substantial results in some areas, specifically in student achievement at the elementary level and in a comprehensive building program, Nonetheless, challenges remain, particularly with student performance at the middle and high school levels, in terms of academic attainment, drop-out ratcs, and violence within some schools and surrounding communities, Despitc the fact that there are several different ways to measure and evaluate performance, all agree that too few

LAUSD students complete high school and even fewer graduate having passed the requisite coursework to attcnd and succeed in college or the workforce,

In the spring ot2005, then-Los Angeles City Council Presidcnt Alex Padilla and then-

LAUSD School Board President Jose Huizar considered strategies for building consensus around mechanisms for improving students' performance, Believing that the performance of the District is related to the strength of its governance system, Padilla and Huizar envisioned a 30-member commission investing a year studying education issues and exploring govcrnance options, Their vision was put into action by creating thc Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance which was unanimously approved in Los Angeles City Council Resolution (Council file 05-

0002-S78) on April 27, 2005,

The Commission was charged with examining the LAUSD and providing a report outlining specific recommendations regarding a governance structure for the LAUSD that best aligns to the 21"' century demands of academic rigor and achievement for all students, equality of educational opportnity, and maximum and efficient use of government funds and resources,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 5 including provisions for school safety, parent and community engagement, and accountability for results, The Commission established the following mission statement to guide its work:

The Joint Commission on Los Angeles Unifed School District Governance is a body organized for a one year term to explore issues on school district governance to improve academic achievement, better engage parents, more efficiently use resources, and make the District more accountable,

In a series of 30 meetings, the Commission studied the District's history and past reform efforts, school finance, human resource capacity, student achievement, drop-out rates, educational equity, parental and community engagement, school safety, accountability, collective bargaining, and alternative governance models and organizational structures throughout the

United States, Each ofthe meetings ran approximatcly four hours and included presentations from education scholars, parents, representatives of community organizations, and School

District officials, as well as discussions among Commissioners, The Commission received public input by conducting i 7 community meetings in every comer ofthe Distrct (please see

Appendix C for a list of the community forum meetings), This process added both perspective and new ideas to the discussion as the Commissioners heard directly from more than 1,000 students, parents, teachers, principals, administrators, community activists, and elected offcials,

These presentations persuaded thc Commission to take a "classroom up" approach, meaning that the body would start by exploring necessary conditions for learning in the classroom and then determine governance systcms that would best support those conditions,

Commissioners sought to build consensus throughout the deliberation process, The recommendations prescnted here have the support of a majority of the Commission, Many of these recommendations are supported by all or nearly all voting Commissioners, Howcver, this

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 6 report also includes three minority reports to provide alternative viewpoints on the issues upon which there is significant disagreement.

KEY RECOMMENDA nONS

Decentralize the District

The Commission strongly believes that it is important to decentralize certain functions ofthe LAUSD to improve accountabilty, equity, community engagement, and student achievement. In order to support and execute the decentralization recommendations, the Commission recommends a new organizational strcture for the District. In this new structure, the organization of an individual school remains as is, although the authority granted to school leaders, as well as the extent to which they are held accountable, is much greater.

The Commission rccommends significant school-level control over budgets, personnel, curriculum, and other functions as described in the body of this report,

The ability to implement greater authority should be facilitated by a finance system in which school funding is allocated directly to the school, based on a weighted student formula in which the per-pupil amount is individually weighted based on each student's unique learning needs,

Organize Schools into CIusters

Thc Commission recommends that all schools in the District be organIzed into clusters. A cluster is defined as a community high school (or schools, depending on the community) and its feeder middle and elementary schools, inclusive of all other public education bodies (e,g" charter schools, early childhood centers, and adult schools) in the local area,

Allowing schools to coordinate with each other through a cluster configuration will facilitate alignment and continuity of currculum, pedagogy, assessments, and professional development within local communities, Collaboration among schools in a cluster will also facilitate

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 7 transitions for students and communication with parents, Within the policies set by the School

Board, the Commission recommends that the Superintcndent work with each cluster to determine a govcrnance structure, Given the proposed strcture of schools nested within clusters, the

Commission recommends abolishing the local sub-distrct strcture,

Change the Rolc of thc Ccntral Offcc

Thc Commission rccommcnds that the rolc of the Central District Offcc bc restructured from a command and control system to one that supports decentralization and improves effciency and achievement, maintaining many ofits current functions while developing new capacities to evaluate schools and hold them accountable for performance,

In exchange for greater authority to schools over budget, personnel, and curriculum, school leaders should be held accountable to the Distrct. The Commission recommends that the

District establish a new accountability system, which would necessitate setting new policies and parameters as well as designing performance metrics and measurement systems,

Focus thc Rolc of thc School Board

The School Board should rcmain thc primary governing body for the District, accountable and rcsponsible to all stakeholders. However, the functions ofthe School

Board should be streamlincd in order to transform the Board into a governing body more narrowly focused on policy. While the Commission is recommending that the School Board's role be streamlined, it also recommends that this body retain key functions related to its role as primary governing body for the District. For cxample, the School Board should continue to hire and fire the Superintendent, approve the District budget, and make final decisions on school site

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 8 selections, with input from appropriate local public offcials, To track and improve parental

engagemcnt, annual parent satisfaction surveys should be administered of schools, clusters, and

the Central Office, Results should be shared with all stakeholders and incorporated into

performance reviews,

Establish Full Time School Board with Concomitant Compcnsation and New Ethics RuIes and Term Limits

The Commission believes that School Board members should continue to be elected

by registered votcrs of the District voting by locaI trustce district. However, wc are

recommending sevcral chauges to the School Board:

School Board positions should be full-time occupations, with compensation increased to reflect full-time work loads,

The Commission recommends a change in campaign finance rules so that School Board members' election campaigns fall under the same controls, rules, and regulations as Los Angeles City Council mcmbers' election rules,

Each School Board member should be limited to serving three four-year terms for a total of i 2 years in offce,

Depoliticize Collectivc Bargaining

The Commission recommends that collective bargaining be the responsibilty of an

indepcndent panel with the intent that resulting work rules wil bc conducive to

implcmenting deccntralized authority. The results of collective bargaining must support

student achievement, quality personnel, and equity of resources for all students, Collective bargaining work rules must be conducive to school-level authority for hiring and firing in order

to implement the Commission's decentralization recommendations,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 9 Welcome Municipal Involvement in LAliSD

There is a need for greater involvement of local municipal leaders including County

Supcrvisors and the City Councils and Mayors of the city of Los Angcles and the 27 other

cities served hy the District, referred to in this document as Iocal municipaI offcials, The

Commission recommends additional collaboration between the cities served by LAUSD and the

District along the following lincs,

Local municipal offcials should have some involvcment in affecting the discussion related to broad education policy,

Local municipal officials should havc some involvement in the District's budget proccss, by reviewing and commenting on the budget prior to its approval.

Local municipal offcials should have some involvement in the Superintendcnt selection

proccss, while hiring and firing decisions should ultimately be the responsibility of the School Board,

Furthermore, while school site selection should remain the ultimate responsibility of the School Board, the Commission recommends rcquired participation in this process by appropriate and relevant City Council members, Mayors, and County Supervisors, The Distrct should be required to meet with the relevant and appropriate offcials before determining a site for a new school, and conversely, City Council members, Mayors, and County Supervisors within Distrct boundaries should be required to meet with LAUSD on rclevant planning and land use issues,

The School District and cities and unincorporated county areas within LAUSD should create a joint advisory Commission to delibcrate upon and make recommendations about the conditions of children, youth, and families within the LAUSD,

The Commission rccommends that thc District, Mayors, unincorporated area representatives, and City Councils establish a planning and advisory board on the joint- use of facilities,

Improvc School and Community Safety

The Commission recommends that Iocal municipal offcials have some involvcment

in ensuring school safcty, These officials can playa critical role in expanding partncrships to

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 10 increase the public safety of schools and their surrounding communities, In addition, the

Commission's recommendation to configure a cluster system presents further opportnities for greater coordination between local law enforcement and their communitics, The following two recommendations are also intended to improve school and community safety,

To enhance school safety for students, teachers, and all other stakeholders, policing of schools should rcmain under the purview of the Central District Office, However, the Commission recommends that the Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) police chiefreport directly to the Superintendent.

To enhance information sharing, a LASPD representative should participate in the Los Angeles Police Department's COMPSTAT meeting, and similarly parter with other ovcrlapping law cnforcement agencies in LAUSD cities and unincorporated areas,

IMPLEMENTATION

To ensure that the Commission's recommendations are fully implemented, they should be memorialized in both the city charter and in state law, To ensure that the capacity exists to implement decentralization, and that the system is decentralized in a reasonable timeframe, the

Commission issues the following recommendations,

The Commission urges the School Board to immcdiately develop a strategy for ensuring ongoing training for principals, as well as for site-based stakeholder and leadership councils, to prepare thcm for autonomy and accountability,

Thc Commission recommends that the School Board develop a strategy for phasing autonomy to all schools over a three-year period, ensuring that all schools within a given cluster receive autonomy at the same time,

Ensuring Buy-In of Voters in the District

The Commission recommends that any fundamental change to the governance structure of LAUSD should be voted on by District voters.

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 11 IN CLOSING

The body of this report provides greater detail on the LAUSD contcxt, the Commission's work, and its dctailed recommendations, In all, there are a total of 54 recommendations, The

Commission believes that if implcmented together, thesc rccommendations will improve the governance of the district, leading to higher student achievement, greater parcntal engagement, improvcd school and student safety, and accountability for results,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LA USD Governance 12 INTRODUCTION

LAUSD CONTEXT

The Los Angeles Unified School Distrct (LAUSD or the District) was formed in 1853 by

combining the various small districts in the region of Los Angeles serving students in grades K-

12, The District expanded over time and today is the largest district in California and the second

largest in the nation,

The District is divided into eight local districts that together span 710 square miles

covering 28 municipalities and multiple unincorporated areas, It has 858 K- I 2 schools serving

727,117 K- 12 students and an additional 150,000 pre-K and adult students, There are 77,754

full-time equivalent employees and the District's total budget is $13,16 billion a year with the

general fund regular program comprising $5,7 billion of this amount. The studcnt body of

LAUSD is tremendously diverse, According to the National Center for Education Statistics

2003-2004 data, 43 percent ofthc District's students are English Language Learners, A 2004-

2005 school year survey performed by LAUSD identified 88 languages spoken at home by

students (R30 Language Census Report), At least 80 percent of District students come from

economically disadvantaged families, according to the California Departent of Education, And

according to the District's 2005-06 Fingertip Facts, the ethnic makeup of the District's student

population is 72,8% Latino, i i ,6% African American, 9% Caucasian, 3,8% Asian, and 2,8%

other ethnicities,

LAUSD schools have undergone substantial change over the last several decades, Just 25

years ago, LAUSD enrolled approximately 200,000 fewer students, some 46 percent of whom

were Hispanic and 24 percent African-American, Since that time, the percentage of white

students has dropped from 24 percent to about 9 percent. As cataloged in the Council of Great

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 13 City Schools' review of the District, over approximately that quarter-centuiy period, LAUSD schools have faced numerous challenges, including Proposition 13 (capping propert taxes and leading to significant drops in school funding), the Northridge earthquake, desegregation orders, consent decrees, year-round schools, numerous superintendents, riots, and countless other disruptions-in addition to changes in the size and composition of its student body,

The Los Angles Unified School Distrct Board of Education is thc primaiy governing body of the District. The School Board consists of scvcn mcmbers, elected by individual trstee districts (that are different from the eight sub-distrcts mentioned above), School Board members serve a four-year term, they can be reelected indefinitely, and there are no contrbution limits for School Board campaigns, Members are lcgislated to receive $24,000 annually,

prorated by the number of meetings each attends, which they can increase by up to five percent a year. In 2004-05 thc Board voted for a 2 percent raise on top of the $24,000 and in 2005-06, they voted for an additional 2,5 percent increase, The total possible salary for a Board Member is now $25,092,

The School Board hired a new Superintendent in 2000 to initiate substantial changes,

The Superintendent centralized the District, introducing managed instruction and other control mechanisms at the central district office level, including new reading and math programs system-

widc for its elementaiy schools, This system of managed instrction was implemented based on evaluations of student performance, The selected curricula were found to improve performance and were therefore implemented District-wide to mitigate the impact of student transience, the concentration ofless qualified tcachers in the lowest performing schools, and the inequity of access to a high quality rigorous curriculum,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 14 During the past six years, the School Board also implemented full-day kindergarten,

increased the number of after-school programs, mandated regular assessments and instructional

intervention systems, boosted the recruitment of highly qualified teachers, and aligned high

school graduation requirements with collegc entrance criteria in an effort to ensure college

accessibility for all graduates,

The District has also embarked on a large public works program, Four consecutive

school bonds have been approved by local voters, providing the District $ i 3 ,6 billion for school

construction, as well as repair, The funding is being used to build upwards of i 50 new schools

to allow students to attend their neighborhood schools on regular school calendars, To date, the

District has opened more than 55 new schools, while completing numerous expansions and

repairs, And several schools have indeed been takcn off year-round schedules,

These efforts are bearing some fruit. Perhaps the strongest indicator of success is that

elementary school student achievement on the state assessmcnt has improved since 2000,

Nonetheless, despite the successful school construction program and gains in test scores among elementary school studcnts, test scores at the middle and high school levels remain flat. The lack of improvement at these grade levels is quite disheartening given that most students are not scoring at the proficient level in eithcr reading or math, In 2004-05, only 22% of sixth graders and 25% of 9th graders scored at the proficient level or above on the State's standardized

English-Language Arts test. Only 26% of the 6th graders scored at the proficient level or above on the State math test. In 9th grade, only 6% of the students scored at the proficient level or above on the Algebra test.

In addition to low proficiency rates, LAUSD's high school drop-out rates have been the focus of great concern, To comply with requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 15 (NCBL), districts in California are asked to have an 82,5 percent graduation rate, According to the LAUSD's District Accountability Rcport Card for 2003-04, the graduation rate of students in the District was 67,7 percent in 2002-03, The Commission heard testimony from a member of the Harvard University Civil Rights Project who presented alternative student persistence rates for LAUSD and California in general. The 2005 UC/ACCORD study, Accountahility for

Educational Outcomes: A Conversationjòr All Stakeholders, concluded that LAUSD's actual

overall graduation rate is 47,3 percent. According to this study, only 39 percent of Latino

th students and 45 percent of African American students who begin the 9 grade in LAUSD complete high school four years later. While there are many who contest the accuracy of these figures, few defend the status quo, High drop out rates and low proficiency levels, combined with intermittent but serious campus violence, has led to a growing impatience for more dramatic improvements.

GENESIS OF THE COMMISSION

"Each year, thousands and thousands or LA USD graduates are realizing academic success in their lives and going on to college, They and their teachers are to he commended. Unfortunately, success is the exception and not the rule, Frankly, it is hard to celebrate the success when so many young people are giving up on education and dropping out,

"We have seen growing empirical evidence that our public schools are not reaching and educating a majority or their students.

"It is time for a civic conversation, It is time for all stakeholders, teachers, parents, students, business leaders, and academics to come together and seriously explore how we can improve our public schools. "

Alex Padila, then-President, Los Angeles City Council

April 14, 2005 announcing plans to create the Commission

"I know in my heart we can be a high performing School District, It begins with having an effective governance structure to provide an optimum level of academic achievement and accountability,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 16 "At this moment in the history ofLAUSD there is a unique opportunity to challenge old assumptions about the governance structure, We need to design a District governance structure that first and foremost serves the academic needs of our young people and prepares them for life " in the 21 Century,"

Jose Huizar, then-President, LAUSD Board of Education

April 14, 2005 announcing plans to create the Commission

The low performance and high drop out rates plaguing LAUSD affict other large urban school districts throughout the countr as wcll. In response to these challenges, mayors in several major cities including New York, Chicago, and Boston, have sought authority over their local public schools, In Los Angeles, the debate over public schools was sparked in December

2004 when mayoral candidate Robcrt Hertzberg announced his plans to breakup the LAUSD, In the runoff election between incumbent Mayor James Hahn and then-Councilmember Antonio

Vilaraigosa, Hahn reignited thc dcbate on April i 9 when he announced that he would seek the power to appoint at least three additional members to the seven-member LAUSD Board of

Education, Two days latcr, Villaraigosa announced that if elected he would seek ultimatc authority over the LAUSD along the lines ofthc New York and Chicago models,

Months prior to these campaign pledgcs, then-Los Angeles City Council President Alex

Padilla and then-School Board President Jose Huizar took a different tack, As successful products ofLAUSD (Padilla went on to graduate from MIT and Huizar went on to graduate from

Berkeley, Princeton, and UCLA) they were frstrated that their stories were the exception and not the rule, They began meeting to discuss the best way to rcach consensus and identify strategies to improve student achicvement in LAUSD,

Huizar and Padilla envisioned a 30-member Commission that would spend one year studying LAUSD's education issues, conducting public meetings and exploring governance

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 17 options, The result of their efforts was the April 15 introduction of a Council Resolution

(Council fie 05-0002-S78) calling for the crcation of the Presidents' Joint Commission on

LAUSD Governance, The establishment of this new Commission was unanimously approved by the Los Angeles City Council on April 27, 2005 (please see Appendix A for the resolution text),

The Commission was asked to examine the Los Angeles Unified School Distrct and provide a rcport outlining specific recommendations regarding a governance strcture for the

LAUSD which best aligns to the 21" century demands of academic rigor and achievement for all students, equality of educational opportnity, and maximum and cfficient use of government funds and resources, including provisions for school safety, parent and community engagement, and accountability for results,

Members of the Commission took their oath in Los Angeles City Council Chambers on

June 29, 2005 and held their first meeting two weeks later on July 13th Assisting the

Commission were staff from the Los Angeles City Council and the LAUSD Board of Education as wcll as the offces of the City Attorney and City Clerk. The City also contracted with the

RAND Corporation to provide research support for the Commission,

THE COMMISSION'S WORK

The strength and quality of the Commission appointees and the complement of staff allowed the Commission to cover tremendous ground in exploring a wide range of education and governance issues, In the process of exploring governance, the Commission came to recognize that in order to consider options for change, it had to have a full understanding of the necessary conditions for learning at the classroom and school leveL. Looking at the Distrct through the eyes of a student, a parent, a teacher, and a principal was agrecd to be the best approach toward

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 18 developing a governance structure that serves students and parents and those who work most closely with them,

In a series of 30 mectings, the Commission studied many different aspects of both

LAUSD and governance in general. The Commission considered the Distrct's history and past reform efforts, school finance, student achievement, drop-out rates, educational equity, parental and community engagement, school safety, accountability, and existing distrcts' governance models and organizational strctures throughout the United Statcs,

The Commissioners made a decision early on not to break into committees but rather to conduct all of their formal meetings as a full Commission, Each of the meetings ran approximately four hours and included presentations from cducation scholars, local experts

(including parents and representatives of community organizations), and School Distrct officials, as well as discussions among Commissioners (please see Appendix B for a list of speakers who addressed the Commission), Over the past year, the Commission has contributed greatly to thc civic discussion on LAUSD governance by compiling the available research and analyzing the bencfits and drawbacks of the many options, Copies of the agendas and presentations can be found on the Commission website at www,lacity,org/council/Commission/lausd/,

Community Outreach Meetings

The Commission received public input by conducting i 7 community meetings in every corner of the District. This process added both perspective and new ideas to the discussion as the

Commissioners heard directly from students, parcnts, teachers, principals, administrators, and community activists, More than 1,000 people participated in Commission outreach meetings,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 19 The RAND Working Paper

In Dccember, the Commission instructed RAND staff to compile the information that had been prescntcd to the Commission as well as the myriad of ideas, concepts, and models that had been discussed, RAND produced a document analyzing each of the many options presented to and discussed by the Commission, In December 2005 the Rand Working Paper was delivered to the Commissioners and the public, This report can be found at the Commission website: www,lacitv,org/council/Commission/lausd/sdgrp i

The Legal Analysis

The Commission requested that the City Attorney's office prcpare a comprehensive legal analysis ofthc many options examined in the RAND Working Paper including rclevant sections of state law and/or the Los Angeles City Charter that would need to be amended to effect change,

In January, the City Attorney's offce presented its analysis, This report can be found on the

Commission's web site: www.lacity,org/council/Commission/lausd/sdgrpl

Deliberation and Voting

After more than i 0 months of study, research, panels, presentations, public comment, and outreach mcctings, the Commissioners bcgan the process of dcliberating and voting, The

Commission approached the deliberation and voting phase by continuing its "classroom up"

pcrspective, As a result, the first item discussed and votcd upon was the empowerment of the school site through dccentralization, The goal of this discussion was to identify those areas where teachers, principals, families, and schools should be empowered with more responsibility,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 20 Once those decisions were made, the Commissioners systematically deliberated on what tye of governance strcture would most effectively support a decentralized system, The following sections present the Commission's recommendations and rationale,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 21 DECENTRALIZED AUTHORITY

Thc Commission strongly recommends decentralizing the District. Many of the speakers on governance argued for decentralization (Hill, 2005; Ouchi, 2006) and members of the public implored the Commission to recommend mechanisms for improving their ability to engage with their local schools, This section presents the principles for decentralization written and endorsed by the Commissioners, followed by a ncw structure for the District that Commissioners believe will best facilitate decentralization, The principles arc followcd by the Commission's recommendations for functional authority at thc school, cluster, and central offce leveL. It is important to note that not all functions are discussed - the ones listed are done so to provide guidance on implementing a new organizational strcturc with specified authority for key functions, Furthermore, the Commission's recommendations specify primary responsibility for functions, and do not preclude involvement in functions by other entities, both within and external to the District. In some cases, the Commission has explicitly recommended shared authority of functions,

DECENTRAIZA nON PRINCIPLES

The Commission recommends that the District be decentralized in order to improve accountability, equity, community engagement, and student achicvcment. The following principles provide furthcr dctail on the purpose of and anticipated outcomes of decentralization,

These principlcs have guided the Commission as it determined the details of its decentralization plan for the LAUSD,

Presidents' JoInt Commission on LAUSD Governance 22 Principles for Decentralization:

i, To maximize tools, resources, and infrastructure deploycd to teachers and administrators at the classroom and school level 2, To ensure that the school principal has the ultimate responsibility and dccision-making authority in a collaborative setting (and within legal boundaries 1 3, To give school stakeholders-students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community

members-a role in evaluation of principal 4, To ensure that authority comes with accountability 5, To employ economies of scale in select business functions 6, To maximize human resources by bringing them closer to the students 7, To implement a weighted studcnt formula (WSF) to safeguard equity of access and equity ofresources for all students and to ensure that each area is equippcd to provide studcnts with the full continuum of educational opportnities 8, To ensurc full participation by all stakeholders at the local level: students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members 9, To ensure that performance in accordance with the above principles is included in the performance evaluation of all staff

NEW DISTRICT STRUCTURE AND FUNDING MECHANISM

The Commission is recommending a ncw organizational structure for the District in order to support and execute the deccntralization principles, In this new structure, the organization of an individual school remains as is, although the authority granted to and accountability expccted of school leaders is much greater. The ability to implement greater authority would be facilitated by a finance system in which school funding is allocated directly to thc school, based on a weighted student formula in which the per-pupil amount is individually weighted based on each student's unique learning needs, In reccnt years, several large districts in thc United States have taken steps to reduce their reliance on traditional position-based funding formulas by introducing weighted student budgeting, Developed in Canada's Edmonton School District in Alberta in the

1980s, weighted student budgeting is now used in several U,S, districts, including Seattle,

Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Houston, Weighted student funding or formula (WSF) holds promise for reducing intra-distrct resourcc disparities and it is often implemcnted along with

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 23 more general decentralization efforts designed to providc enhanced management and resource allocation discretion to school personneL. In a system with a weighted student formula, each student receives an allocation - weighted according to his or her specific needs - that follows the student to the schooL. A studcnt with special education needs or a student who does not speak

English requires more resources than a native speaker of English with no special education needs, Using a WSF should also make the largest part of the District's budget morc transparent

- the public can sce exactly why each school gets the resources it does,

To further support decentralization the Commission recommends that all schools in the

District be organized into clusters, A cluster is defined as a community high school (or schools, depcnding on the community) and its feeder elementary and middle schools, inclusive of all other public education bodies (e,g" charter schools, early childhood centers, and adults schools) in thc local area, Within the policies set by the School Board, the Commission recommends that the Superintendent work with each cluster to determine a governance strcture,

Given this new structure of schools nested within clusters, the Commission sees no necd to continue the local sub-district Motions Relevant to Organizational Structure , " ' and Weighted Student Fundin ': strcture, Abolishing local districts . Schools should have maximum authority over their budgets, through use of weighted student funding. would facilitatc the implementation . All schools should be in a cluster configuration. . Clusters should be defined as a community high school (or schools, depending on the community) and its feeder of many of the decentralization elementary and middle schools, inclusive of all other public education bodies (e.g., charter schools, early childhood principles, This change would centers, and adults schools) in the local area. . Superintendent should work with clusters to determine the maximize the tools, resources, and governance structure of each cluster. . Due to decentralization, there is no need for local sub- distTicts. infrastructurc deployed to tcachers and administrators at thc classroom and school leveL. Moreover, it would maximize human resources by bringing them closer to the students, It would also help to ensure that the school

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 24 principal has the ultimate responsibility and decision-making authority in a collaborative setting

and that there is full participation by all stakeholders at the local cluster and school leveL.

GREATER SCHOOL LEVEL AUTHORITY WITH CLUSTERS PROMOTING LOCAL COLLABORATION AND ASSISTANCE

If authority is to be decentralized, schools must have maximum authority over their

budgets and over hiring school site M;¡Üons Relevant to Sehool aDd , , -Cluster Level AuthoritY pcrsonnel. The Commission recommends . Schools should hire and fire their own staff. . Stakeholder groups should appoint principals after receiving a list of qualified (approved by School Board) that schools manage their own budgets and candidates from the Superintendent. Regular and formal performance reviews of principals should be used for their have sole authority over hiring and firing own employment decisions and should include stakeholder comments. teachers and school staff, Schools should . Daily scheduling should take place at schoo1s . Textbook and currculum selection should be decided by schools, within parameters set by the Central Distrct, and also playa major role in sclecting their in collaboration with clusters. . Lesson planning and pedagogy should be the principals, The Commission recommends responsibility of schools, in consensus and collaboration with clusters. that a stakeholder leadership council hire the . Professional development should be the responsibility of schools, in collaboration with clusters to ensure continuity between grade levels. school principal from a list of qualified . Student discipline should be handled by schools with the Central District Offce serving as an appellate jurisdiction. nominees submitted by the Superintendent . Pre-K education should be the school's rcsponsibility. . A repair allowance should be provided to schools, for and approvcd by the School Board, Further, minor repairs and maintenance. Major repairs and maintenance should be determined by the Central Distrct, with exception givcn to matters of health and safcty (so regular evaluation of the principal should that a school can make repairs, etc., if determined critical to thc health and safe! of students and staff. include formal comment from the

stakeholder/leadership counciL. This evaluation should be included in performance revi~ws and

cmployment decisions, The Commission recommends that schools have control over their day-

to-day schedules, within the parameters set by the State and the Central District Office for the

annual schedule, Furthcrmore, the Commission recommends that schools have authority over

selecting textbooks and currcula, also within the parameters set by the Central Offce and the

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 25 State, These parameters arc important as a consistent curriculum ensures equity across schools

and helps to mitigate the effects of high student mobility and concentrations ofinexpericnced teachers in under-performing schools, Tcxtbook selection and curriculum should also be done in collaboration with the clusters, Moreover, the Commission recommends that lesson planning and pedagogy be managcd by schools, in consultation and collaboration with clusters as well,

Similarly, the Commission recommends that the primary responsibility for professional dcvclopment for teachers, administrators, and staff rest at the school level but in collaboration with the cluster.

Gaining school-level control over budget, personnel, and curriculum will necessarily decentralize the District. The Commission recommends that the school have authority over other kcy functions as well, Student discipline should be managed by schools with the Central Distrct

Office serving as an appeals jurisdiction, Pre-kindergarten education also should be managed by the schools and all schools should have the right to establish such programs, And while the

Commission is recommending that the Ccntral District Offce have primary responsibility over major repairs, the Commission recommends that an allowance be given to principals to use at their discretion for repairs and maintenance, particularly for matters concerning health and safcty,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 26 IMPORTANT ROLE FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OFFICE

The Commission believes that the Central Distrct Offce should continue to playa strong role, The Central Offce should allocate ,-(' Motions Relevant, to Central District Offce ' Authority funding to the schools, based on a . Weights for the student funding formula should be determined by the Central Offce. weighted student formula it designs, In . Compliance and mandate development should be done by the Central Offce, . Yearly scheduling should be done by the Central exchange for the greater authority Offce and should maximize the utility of traditional school schedules. granted to schools over budgct, . Payroll and benefits should be handled by the Central Office. personnel, and currculum, they should . The Central Office should qualify personneL. . Procurement should be the ultimate responsibllity of the Central Offce. be held accountablc to the Distrct. In . Information technology should be handled by the Central District leveL. order to ensure accountability, the . The Central Offce should manage Transportation. . Special education should be assigned to the Central Central District Office would need to Offce, . Charering schools should be managed by the Central Office. develop an accountability system, to . After-school programming should be under supervision

of the Central Office, in collaboration with other include new policies and parameters to entities working closely with local schools and clusters to customize programs and cnsure that schools have guide performance expectations and the ability to either acccptinot acccpt any program(s). . In collaboration with thc local political subdivisions (local municipalities), selecting sitcs for new schools measurement. Thc Commission should rest at the Ccntral Officc. . Major repairs and maintcnance should be determincd at recommends that several other functions the Ccntral Offce, with exception given to mattcrs of health and safety (so that a school can make repairs, be managed by the Central District etc., if dctcrmined critical or absolutely necessary to health or safety of students and staff). . Responsibility for food services should be at the Officc as well, including: Ccntral Offce with schools having the ability and authority to opt-out. . Annual scheduling, with an . In close collaboration with other cities and emphasis on resurrecting municipalities, the responsibility for school policc should remain at the Central Office leve1. traditional schedules . Chief of the School Police should report directly to . Payroll and bcnefits Superintendent. . Qualifying personnel . Procurement . Information technology . Transportation . Special education . Chartering schools (as one, but not the only charter school authorizer)

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 27 The Commission recommends that the Central District Office manage othcr functions in collaboration with schools, clusters, and/or other entities, including city governments, After- school programs should be managed by the Central Offce in collaboration with local schools, clusters, and the relevant and appropriate cities, Schools, however, should have the freedom to dclivcr the after-school programs they choose, within the standards and broad vision set by the

District. The Central Offce has demonstrated the ability to set a broad vision for after-school programming and ensure that providers are held accountable to standards for pcrformance,

These efforts should continue, whilc allowing for maximum flexibility for individual programming at the school level

Selecting sites for new schools should be managed by the Central Offce in collaboration with thc local communities, This function and the interaction with local communities will be described in greater detail below, alongside recommended roles for the School Board, Facilities and building maintcnancc should bc thc primary rcsponsibility of the Central Office, with an allowance given to principals to use at their discretion for repairs and maintenance, particularly for matters concerning health and safety, Food services should be a function of the Central

Offce, but schools should be able to opt out of receiving these services,

Finally, this Commission recommends that school safety remain the purview of the

Central Offce, After considering several options for improving student, school, and community

safety, the Commission recommends that the Chief of the School Police report directly to the

Supcrintcndcnt. In addition, it is important to note that the recommendation of the Commission for thc formation of clustcrs prcscnts an opportunity for greater coordination between local law enforcement and their communities,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 28 FOUR FUNCTIONS WARRNT SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES

The Commission recommends that four key functions have shared responsibility between two or more cntities, Adult education should be a shared responsibility between the Central

District Office and clusters, Health and social services should be a sharcd responsibility between schools and their local communities, Data collection and analysis should be a shared responsibility between schools, clusters, the Central Offce, and the State, Finally, parental involvement should be a shared responsibility of schools, clusters, the Central Office, and the

State, Thc Commission believcs that a decentralized District wil better facilitate parental involvement at the school and cluster i ': Motions Relevant to Shared: Responsiblltl'; , leveL. To track and improve parental . Adult education should be executed at both the Central District and the local cluster levels. . Health and social services should be ajoint function engagement, annual parent satisfaction between the local communities (cities, counties, municipalities) in cooperation with schools. surveys should be administered of . Collecting and analyzing data should occur at all levels as appropriate. schools, clusters, and the Central . Annual parental satisfaction surveys should be administered and results measured by schools, clusters and the Central Distrct. Results should be incorporated into perfonnance Offce, with the results shared with all reviews for all em 10 ccs in the District. stakeholders and incorporated into performance reviews,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 29 GOVERNA~CE A~D ACCOUNTABILITY

This section presents recommendations for governing the new decentralized system and holding all actors within it accountable, The governance principles which guided the

Commission's decisionmaking process arc listed here, These principles have been adopted in part from thc California School Boards Association's Professional Governance Standards for

School Boards,

GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

The Commission's ovcrriding goal is that every studcnt who attends LAUSD graduate and be prepared to succeed in college or join the skilled workforce and embark on a successful career. The Commission's recommendations respond to its charge of designing a governance strcture that promotes academic rigor and achievement for all students, equality of educational opportunity, maximum and efficient use of funds and resources, a safe and healthful learning environment, full participation of parents and the community, and accountability at every level of the District.

To best realize its goals, thc Commission believes that district leaders should adhere to the following principles of governance:

i, Opcrate openly, with trust and integrity 2, Develop a clear and shared sense ofleadcrs' roles and responsibilities in a decentralized context 3, Establish and communicate a clcar vision for the District 4, Focus on policy and accountability throughout the District, including taking collective responsibility for pcrformance 5, Resist micromanaging, governing within board-adopted policies and procedures 6, Foster a constrctive relationship with the Superintendent 7, Set high expectations for studcnts

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 30 8, Focus on academic achievement, which includes ensuring that qualified teachers are hired, that schools are safe, that families are engaged in schools, and that currculum is implemented in the classroom in a culturally and individually appropriate way 9, Evaluate and monitor student progress, policy implementation, the District's fiscal health, and leaders' own effectiveness

10, Ensure opportnities for the diverse range of views in the community to inform dcliberations II, Participate in professional development and commit the time and energy necessary to be an informed and cffective leader i 2, Govern in a dignified and professional manner, treating everyone with civility and respect

Stakeholder buy-in is also an important governance principle, Therefore, the Commission recommends that any proposals for fundamcntal changes to the LA U SD governance strcture be decided by voters residing within district boundaries,

THE CENTRAL GOVERNING BOARD

This section presents recommendations regarding the central governing School Board,

The Commission believes that this Board should remain the primary governing body for the

District. However, the Commission is recommending changes to the School Board's roles, selection mechanisms, and compensation,

Roles

The Commission recommends that the functions of the School Board be streamlined in order to transform the Board into a govcrning body more narrowly focused on policy. However,

as the primary governing body of the District, the Commission believes that it should retain five key roles, First, the Commission recommends that the School Board continue to hire and fire the

District Superintendent. Second, the School Board should continue to oversee the inspector general. Third, the Commission recommends that the School Board have final approval power

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 31 over a list of qualified nominees for principal positions, developed by the Superintendent.

Fourth, the School Board should retain full power to set and approve the District's budget.

Finally, school sitc selcction should remain the ultimate responsibility of the School Board with required participation of appropriate and relevant City Council members, Mayors, and County

Supervisors, The Commission recommends that the Board be required to meet with relevant and appropriate city or county officials before making a final determination on a site for a new schooL. Similarly, the Commission recommends that City Council members, Mayors, and

County Supervisors within district boundaries be required to meet with district staff on relevant planning and land use issues,

Selection of and Compensation for Membcrs

Regarding School Board ,11 " Motions Relevant to The School Board

'J,¡;it. School Board's functions should be streamlined¡ , to transform , the member selection, the Commission Board into a more narrow policy Board. recommends that members . School Board should hire and fire Superintendent. . Inspector General should continue to report to the School Board. . School principals should be appointed by stakeholder group, from continue to be elected by a list of qualified candidates submitted by Superintendent and approved by School Board. registered voters of the District, . School Board should have ultimate approval of district budget. . School site selection should be a responsibility of the School voting by trstee districts as is the Board with required input and notification to and from all other relevant jurisdictions on any matters pertaining to site selection and land use and planning that will impact LAUSD. case now, However, the . All School Board members should be elected by trustee distrct in keeping with current status. Commission recommends a . School Board should remain at 7 members, but become full time. . School Board election campaigns should have same rules, regulations and controls as the Los Angeles City Council change in campaign finance rules members' elections. . Each School Board mcmbcr should be limited to servings three, so that Board members' election four-year ters. . Compensation for Board members should be increased. campaigns fall under the same controls, rules, and regulations as Los Angeles City Council members' election rules,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 32 Furthermore, the Commission recommends that each Board member be limited to serving three

four-year terms for a total of 12 years in office,

Over this past year, Commissioners have come to recognize the immense workload of

each School Board member. The Commission hopes that the workload is lessened by a more

narrow focus on policy, In addition, the Commission recommends that School Board positions

become full-time occupations, with compensation increased to reflect full-time work loads,

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

The Commission has heard tcstimony describing how collective bargaining rules prevent

schools from hiring the best teachers for their

students, Collective bargaining work rules Collective Bargaining should be conducted by an independent arbitration and ratification pane1. must be conducive to school-level authority for hiring and firing in order to implement the

Commission's decentralization recommendations, Thc Commission recommends that collective bargaining be the responsibility of an independent panel with the intent that resulting work rules will be conducive to implementing decentralized authority,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 33 MUNICIPAL INVOLVEMENT IN LAUSD

During the course of its tenurc, the Commission considered increased mayoral and other municipal involvement in the governancc of the LAUSD, Commissioners heard from researchers, advocatcs, and community members, some who supported and some who opposed greater mayoral involvement and authority, The Commission recommends that the School

Board continue to govern thc Distrct but with increased involvement of municipal leaders,

Throughout this section, Mayors and City Council members of the 28 municipalities enrollng students in LAUSD and the Los Angeles County Supervisors who represent unincorporated areas in the District are referred to as "local municipal officials,"

The Commission recommends that local municipal offcials have some involvement in affecting the discussion related to broad education policy, The Commission recommends that local municipal offcials have the right to review and comment on the budget prior to its approval. Furthermore, the Commission rccommends that local municipal officials havc some

involvement in the Superintendent selection process (exclusive of hiring decisions),

While the Commission is recommending that school site selection remain the ultimate responsibility of the School Board, it does recommend required participation of appropriate and relevant City Council members, Mayors, and County Supervisors in the sclection process, The

Commission recommends that the Board be required to meet with the relevant and appropriate officials before determining a site for a new schooL. Conversely, the Commission recommends that local municipal officials within distrct boundaries be required to meet with LAUSD offcials on relevant planning and land use issues,

Presidents' Joint Commssion on LAUSD Governance 34 The Commission also recommends that local municipal officials develop new coalitions and collaborations and expand current partncrships to support important educational functions such as school safety and after-school programs, Regarding school safety, the Commission recommends that school police liaisons Motions Relevanti to Municipali Iilvolvement1"1 attend the Los Angeles Police Departent . All LAUSD Mayors and other elected offcials should have some involvement in affecting discussions related COMPSTAT meetings and liaise with other to developing broad education policies. . Budget approval should be subject to review and comment by all LAUSD Mayors and other public cities' police departments and appropriate offcials, prior to approval by School Board. . School Board should select the Superintendent, subject sheriff's departents, Clusters should also to a role in early part of selection process of candidate by LAUSD Mayors and other public offcials, be involved in improving school safety by excluding actual hiring. . School site selection should be responsibility of School Board with required input and notification to and from coordinating with local law enforcement. all other relevant jurisdictions on any matters pertaining to site selection and land use and planning After-school programming could bc that wil impact LAUSD, . All Mayors and other public offcials should have some enhanced through additional joint-usc involvement in the development of coalitions and collaboratives affecting school safety and after-school programs in their cities. agrcements, The Commission recommends . School Police liaisons should attend LAPD COMPSTA T meetings and liaise with other cities' that a new joint-use planning and advisory police departments and appropriate Sheriffs deparments. Additionally, the Distrct should form new parterships to increase safety in schools and in board be established with members community. . Commission recommends a new joint advisory representing the District, Mayors, planning board with the Distrct, all Councils and all Mayoral representatives, including unincorporated unincorporated areas, and City Councils, areas, relative to joint use. . School District and all Cities and unincorporated arcas within Distrct should create a joint advisory Finally, the Commission Commission to deliberate upon and make recommendations about conditions of children, youth recommends that the District work with and their families within LAUSD. cities and unincorporated county areas within LAUSD to create a joint advisory commission to delibcrate upon and make rccommendations about the conditions of childrcn, youth, and families within the District.

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 35 IMPLEMENTING CHANGE

To implement these recommendations, the Commission recommends that the School

Board immediately develop a stratcgy for ensuring ongoing training for principals, as well as for site-based stakeholdcr and leadership councils, to Motlons Relevant to Implementing , ' - Recommendations ,;, ~ prepare them for autonomy and accountability, School Board should immediately begin to implement strategies, such as phased-in autonomy The Commission recommends that the School for schools and ensuring training for principals and stakeholder leadership councils, to prepare them for autonomy and accountabihty, and provide Board develop a strategy for phasing autonomy to ongoing development and training for principals and stakeholder leadership councils, to be all schools over a three year period, ensuring that com leted within three ears. all schools within a cluster be granted autonomy simultaneously, Finally, these recommendations should be ccmented in both the city charter and in state law to ensure full and lasting implementation,

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 36 MIl'ORITY REPORTS i. Municipal Involvement

It has been a privilege serving on this Commission, Virtally all of the Commission's conclusions have had a strong consensus, The Commission's most important recommendation is the need to provide as much local control as possible by implementing decentralization based on a weighted school formula in certain critical areas that are well describcd clscwhere in this report, The critical question is: How wil this decentralization be achieved.

We do have documentation that the current School Board and Superintendent have made improvements in test scores for the lower grades but not as much has been done for the higher grades, The current School Board and their predecessors have shown little sustained support for deccntralization, The Board has a history of short term attempts at various forms of decentralization and then withdrew in the face of the power of the very large central bureaucracy, The LA Mayor is the one uniquc institution that can be the change agent to galvanize the forces to sustain decentralization,

It is the conclusion of the undersigned that the LA Mayor must drive the ship of decentralization that will bring the improved student achievement and success that we all hope to see.

The Commission concluded wisely that the Mayors of the LAUSD Cities should have roles in budgeting and the selection process of the Superintendent.

The undersigned believe that the ratification ofthe Superintendent appointment should also be included with the above,

The LA Mayor must be given the full compliment of tools to complete the job,

Respectfully submitted,

Maria Casillas Yvonne Chan George Cole Ramon Muniz Erin Pak Carla Sanger Howard Welinsky Tyree Wieder Jonathan Williams

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 37 2. Collective Bargaining

It is the view of the undersigned members of the Commission that the issue of Collective Bargaining within the Los Angeles Unified School Distrct has not been adequately discussed by the Commission, and, indeed, the action taken by the Commission to transfer the District's responsibilities in Collective Bargaining to an independent panel does not address the fundamental problems that the bargaining process presents to the school distrct.

Collective Bargaining within any school district in California is a form of governance, in that it involves the allocation of resources for wages and salaries of employees of the district, as wcll as determines the terms and conditions of employment. Over the past two decades, the scope of bargaining has been increased by actions of the courts and state agencies so that the original tenets of the collective bargaining law have been greatly expanded, As a result, many decisions about the allocation of resources and the distrbution of teachers - including issues of seniority and transfer rights - have become cmbodied in provisions of collective bargaining agreements, and are decreasingly subject to traditional management prerogatives or governance decisions that may be made by the Board of Education,

Recently, the United Teachers of Los Angeles and LAUSD have reached an agreement that permits a number of decisions to be made that involve such matters as transfer and seniority, with the objective being the assignment of veteran and highly qualified teachers to the schools with students who need them the most. At this writing, the details of the implementation of this agreement have not becn worked out, but the conceptual framework that was agreed to dcmonstrates that the District and the union representing the teaching staff can come to agreements that are in the best interests of the students ofLAUSD,

The Commission has made a number of recommendations relative to the allocation of resources, such as the implementation of a studcnt weighted formula, This recommendation wil be illusory without addressing it's implications within the context of Collective Bargaining,

In addition, the transfer of the Collective Bargaining function from the Board of Education and the Superintendent to an independent "arbitration" panel overlooks the need for the process to include representation of the governance team of the distrct and the community of interest it represents, as well as the knowledge base of the District's resources and curricular goals and objectives, This proposal by the Commission fundamentally misunderstands the role of Collective Bargaining as a form of governance within the District.

Submitted by the following membcrs of the Commission:

Robert Barner Ed Burke Jose Cornejo Donald Dear Mary Rose Ortega Scott P. Plotkin Mary Rodriguez

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 38 Julie Ruelas Camila Townsend Howard Welinksy Andrew Westall

3. Term Limits for the Members of the Board of Education

It is the view of the undersigned mcmbers of the Commission that we oppose the recommendation to limit the terms of offce of the members of the Board of Education to no more than three, four year terms,

Term limits are an anachronism and contradiction in a Democratic society, We already have "term limits," They're called "elections," Artificially limiting the time an elected official may hold office at any level of Democratically elected government is inhcrently anti-democratic, The decision of voters to elect the representative of their choice for as long as they choose should not be unilaterally denied, under any circumstances,

Submitted by the following members of the Commission:

Ed Burke Donald Dear Mary Rose Ortega Scott p, Plotkin Mary Rodriguez Julie A, Ruclas Camilla Townsend Howard Wclinsky

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 39 APPENDIX A _.,. - .. . ~-._...... u l1i

RJ:SOLlJTION

WHEREAS, un)' oftcìill,,"ition ()l' lll~ Ciiy uf Lu. "'"!lob with rç;'l"t to l"gi"la~i()n, rune" re.gulalion' Gr pol ioies p1oposoo lú 'jf I"ndii!l befo," a 100"11, $1ale or lcdcmn R-)'CitUlICliial body or ago"c)' mu,l h;ovt fin,,! ¡'""n .dopted in the ¡"rm o-h R~)Jiiti!,," by the eii)' Cuundl with il i;on,;,urrctlcC' ()ftl\e: M:t.for;

WHERE,"S, lhe U" /mgele, UnWed &C~iOJ Disi.; è1 "'0' od~inalll' founded by Los ,"ng.lçs Miiyo, Slcl'hi", C. Fosler in lS5:l, and hii bef, interwined w'tb the eil\ of Los AnR~les, At lite 1 Sl"'arini',,,.ry of ihe fii\Lliding of ¡be Lo. AIl!leles. tJnJtei School Disr,rici (l.AUSD), il is "pprp.nutc l\)Jlv¡(l tJie h;swnr~1 d.,,,i:oprnen, ,)f IIw tumml g(",,,miiic,, ,1ruelure uf !he LAliSD, :id Wdetelirlt whother the C¡¡,.,'T! goV\)i~n.çe,tr~clure euniìno'" Iv ad"lInçe ihe aCJdemfc ¡niercsß Mth.esiuík11 ,)tnot on.¡y the City "r Lu, A.nj¡~lt(, but ~l,o "tthe ~tode"t, of ihose olli., elt,,, eurrnily 'e:ryoW bi' ibe Li\USll; ond

WllEREAS, tho u\.mm h S1nlt,ling Lv iidiieve its oore mi,si",,; r.heediiçi(jwi úf .ll it, stud"..t, ""ids cflhrts 10 change ibo curicuhiiTI, Jl 1iu;ild new schu()1s. W chon¡"", ihe tr:lll1ageeit s.trcture, W brenk up the di'5triCt~ to ;lL,(1í!,H~1¡?Je :schools llJ .,1 ',,';¡rictr -of way; an.1.

wm,REAS, a rceJ!I ,W,ly .~)' the L'C ACCORD ¡:,esen.ted iii ci)njllt1ion w'tn ihe Han'al'd University Civil !liiilMS J'wjoct ooneloilçd 111,11 U\USD', aotuol ovoroll grnruaÜon rale j, 47.3 percent, wÜh only :t9 percent úf Lat¡no ihi4L~I)ls .anù 45 p~rcCJt of Amcan.Amcrican5 ~tud('1s wh" be1:i!!. th" 9" grade Ln fLAlJSP Yumpl.i'ii~g. tbei high ,chooL OOU03Iioii;. and

WHEREAS, und,,, tbe Feile",1 Nr, Child tell lletiiii A"', the ì)n..iloW Stile, Dqrtment üf Ed\~"Üon ha. idenii1""i L.A USD a, a J'wgnim lmpmvcm~it ScliÜO! District, iind '''m'Jtl), lit iÒa.,L H'l LAl;SD çlementit, middle. .nd litf! ",hools ¡,;we ¡""n id.niifì., as Pmb'lm Irr,pm""""nt &Ch(".I" if ~he LAHsPd~ IWI hring th,' nisiri,. inro Ct)J)plian.eo wiih tho proví_~iüns (if ~he Fé-i~rai No C'.ÎldL~ft Bietiind Act it roll)' face state and j:c~ict;ßJ Ü1(L:,\.qI1iöri~ and

\VHlREM¡, 1J,,:,. i. . ,igniticant Il\ibli~ Üivestrnent a l 'late, fuçrat aid iQÇ~) funds in tho wucatiæw rote'lri,,, of tbe LA usn including nnsoins ',IEi¡llioJl¡i1 "'pen,,,s of ilie LA.US£J Dl $6 biU"m pcr year, ~n.d leiia! bucl~ied r""''fue; i!nd Ì'nlances flJr LAUSLJ in excess "f $ LlJ bllltüR lor FY Z004iOj; ..d

WllERE,.IS. it i" time to ch'll''lBC ,,~,1 ;issûiiptions iiuut il goycmanec '1rueturc of the Los Ai\~cJc" Uiii ti,"¡ SdwoJ Dc'Irio!, and ",de,;g" . distrrt gGvcmnl1c slri.i;lle I\'¡,id. fi,,1 ii tbrt!lst ser\'i.~ th~ ricoocmic ;)nld in:HrtJtjemlll nro of uur ~\)un8 j)t1(ipll(!ruid Pli(~IIt: t.hem 1M adult hrt in 6e 2 i i! century; ~tld

WHEREAS, il Prc.,idCllt of the Lö. An,eJc,. City Couii,d ~.nd the í're,id.o.nt 011he LAl;SD lwve eontff ~Ild ;igr thot ibe health. of ,,~! dUes miJ the """Ith of Cir scKds. arc ti,cd t.,geHiOI ¡l1the mool bak fu.mcnl~1 marLi\er~ amI

WHEREAS. be1ier alignmçm I'l' Ul" "".demie., pL1lic safi;" and other ~m"1Tuni\y re,lY,"" to sehouts Cil help asSI~t~ ~tiat 11,,, studeni" paR'ttS, icich¡trs, ..rnini.tr.to", a.d ,,,i(\,,I., ¡¡çt Im~ mlJa~ em: nt puNii filJlcls sp'nt ïn thcir i)')inrnunities. " ,¡ . ~- c~ /), Ç'/

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 40 NOW, THER.EFORE:, HE IT RESOLVEll, with (he cX'ocu"'''''ic of ,he MRyor, that by the aidoptii:n ,of ihis Resolutkin, tle ('it~r (lr Los Arigcle"i¡ ØiCfl;by creatcs: 'Hit:::, Pil'.i.ider¡t~,:-lJl Commi&OÇ¡m'l ,Oft Wìl!SD Go.'l:4!I)anc.e ti) dt:tcrminc the bi: ffrtnner in which tn 21Hgn the lAUSD go\'c;t'i~iik,C~ln.ture to the rleniaJwJs uf student academÎc ì'tgtr i.:md. ~idiie'i'mjc::it. and prepare ,our )'OltrJg JXuplt~ fbr a.ul1 rifu, in ih~ :2 i ~ cenhl::.i,;and

IT rs fURlfI'R\WRR RESOLV!:!) that the Cutiimbiun shall und.-r.læ:

I' ,0. rei'iC'' (~r lhë historical dC\"ÇlOpJIlt:iiluf 1he currmt LA. usn gOVe1\1t1ce S(rui.:turi:~ arid al1iertíLe apJNÐa~hes to tbe C\ti goverance strctre.

.2) Pto,,'idc: a IIport aitid :s~cific rei(ImlDL::ci-~ii;1S rit,gn.Jín,g the ~~\'cmUJie- strui;nise fi:or the LAUSll '~¡,idi b.i align, 10 ih~ 21" èC'tur dcr!l1, of(~) .""Jemie. rigor -inè acJ)ieve:meni for ag¡ SWeots (b) equality of ii"i111i:Hi)n;¡~ ()pp(~r::Jnlt)', (c) mii~mllm wid efficlmt UN;: üf gt)"'l.mmelJt'l.nds and ,t:i,~ itit'looLrg prnvisiol1S tor ~Ç:hü(~l ~f~tJ', (dJ pae:lit ;¡nd oJmmunI1y \!ngageincril, imd (e) iiccountabliity fOf fc.'Hiit~,

J) The iniliiir rC¡lOf1, which .h.11 be .obnij~kd by J",,""' J!, 2006. slull bo Jdi".,cd (0;

1.) The Mayor and Clt)' COL1,~il of th~ Chy of Los AnBt1I~, which i1ny pi:OtlJsro rhangi:i¡ i 1~ the Cìty Ch¡:i1cr; b) The BÙt1rd üflrustcc!\ and ~liie: SupcntC'ndcli~ (i-f the: l.(\$ Angeles 'Un:ified SC'oool Di~tri~t~ c) Th¿ G0i.enr and Lc:gislril:ure .of the Stae of Ç;ilif()rnjJl~ d) Th" Ma.\'!.'r; and Cily COlIclJ. lIf.tl,c mh., oii;", in ihe LAUS!); e) Other sti.fc N ft"XeraJ gvvern~ritai 0tt..'1~lil¡ití.(ns who msy hav~ ;; t'Ûte tn l'nOCIliuÍiig g.)""~riiJm:~ ch.ange at I AUSIC)

4) lhi. Commîs-:;ion $h.ilt bi~ compt)!'ö:t (~f

ii) One C\rCrliiir .JppDÎmcd b)' tl~lI lru~Jdent ofth(' Løs AnßtI(: City Connell. h) One CO-(h.il:: iipp-ÚHoo by ihe Pre!i~dcni i)f thi.~ L-o:s- Angeles UnitLL'r S~Jiol)Ol Dï~trii,t. c) One member appçiJlt~ b)' tll.~ Mayor of the City of Los i\llgck::. d) 0"" nii:hcl' ap~ointed by alllcmaiiiIlig lv. Angeb CH~' Coeiwilirltirb",s. (~) One mt."':ber .¡ppoin1c-d hy j,dl tiirinüi:níng S.nardn-iebi;s (if tniJ Los Angelc::; Unitied Schu.;1 Di::¡riCt. J) One n:embtr ilppointcd and tigrc~d tn by the Ma~¡I)iS of 1lu.' Cifies of South Gar.., Mari;yvüd,Hc:ll, Huntin&~ütJ P;:rk, Cudahy and Vmiün, .8) One: rrc.mber appnEriled -ani agL'oCd to by Uie 1\:111)'0('5 of thoC Ci:iiics üf (:'1lSlJi:, Lumìw, and G¡ij,'ltn./. In One uiç:inoer aPPÜLlltcr llnd i1gtit:cIJ II hy Ma)'Qrs of the Ciiiö- of :S:a Fel1i;mdo~ Wcs. n.::U)'v'()íd,.i Mon1.erey :Purk.

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 41 5) Appuin1menl~ to The PIIl¡d~wis' lnin~ Cnmii ¡"ion "11 LA1 iSD Gnverume ~hall b\ mllc no later than 31 (lays miler the pili,a,ge ofihis resoluliOi1,

6) A¡iOßIi1iiik ¡inihodiies il t:,,,'ut.ii.. I" "llnl panmls, tcachm, admì,d~tnt.rs w:a(!¡mj,:" i.d person. with "ig¡ifk-Ilft e.~~iirnc iiii1¡ii'na: lai,¡.c cntcfpfiic;,

7) i\¡iuintrnoot5 shall he direclc¡l to the P¡,~id.:it of the Los Angeles City Ctl~nci I,

8) ne Pre,idcrM J..,in~ Ç\imm¡~~!ir,m!. LI\USD GClVk"TJlnce slull tenmnate íts "",¡,ttllLt J,me 30, 2(1((i.

PRESENTED BY, AI ,EX l' i ILL,,, C"llli~Uin~rnber, '7'" Dülrki

SE(ONIl,m Dy.,/-:7Jlhl,' U li:l

COWlcilni~.o.b~r,15ih m~iilci (\'j~(l~~ JANiel: llAHN

/ßI£Ri'\AR c. PARKS CouncilmemOOr, n'" m,trid

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 42 APPENDIX B

LIST OF SPEAKERS

July 13, 2005 Alex Padilla, President, Los Angeles City Council Jose Huizar, Member, LAUSD Board of Education July 28, 2005 Governor Roy Romer, Superintendent, LAUSD Marlene Canter, President, LAUSD Board of Education

August 11, 2005 Charles Kerchner, Profcssor of Education, Claremont Graduate University Jon Fullerton, Director of Budget & Financial Policy, LAUSD Independent Analyst Unit

August 25, 2005 Ron Bcnnett, President, School Scrvices of California Julie Mendoza, Co-Director, California Opportunity Indicators Project UCLA and UC ACCORD Post-Doctoral Scholar

September 8, 2005 Stephen Sheldon, Research Scientist at The Center on School, Family & Community Parterships, Johns Hopkins University Agustin Urgiles, Alliance for a Belter Community Luis Sanchez, Inner City Strggle Goldie Buchanan, African American Parent/Community Coalition for Educational Equity

September 22, 2005 George Cole, Councilman, City of Bell Jeffrey Prang, Councilman, West Hollywood Carla Sanger, President & CEO LA'S BEST Carol Donahue, Beyond the Bell Dan Isaacs, Chief Operating Officer, LAUSD Lt. Steve Dodson, Commanding Officer South Division, LAUSD School Police Capt. Richard Meraz, Southeast Division, Los Angeles Police Departent Lt. Robert Jonsen, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Dr. Frank Wells, Principal, Locke High School

October 6, 2005 Linda Guthrie, Secondary Vice President, United Teachers Los Angeles Michael O'Sullivan, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Debbie Hirsh, LAUSD Chief Human Resources Officer Anita Ford, LAUSD Personnel Commission Beth Fuller, Principal, Hughes Elementary School Joseph Caldera, Principal, Griffth Middle School Steve Barr, Founder of Green Dot Charter Schools Dr. Cassandra Guarino, RAND Researcher and Author

Presidents' Joint CommIssion on LAUSD Governance 43 October 20, 2005 Kenncth K, Wong, Ph,D" Brown University Randy Ross, Ph,D" Director, LAUSD Board of Education, Educational Policy Unit

October 27

Paul Hil, Professor, Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington Larr Cuban, Professor of Education, Stanford University

November 17, 2005 Martin Conroy, Professor of Education, Stanford University Fritz Edelstein, Ph,D" Conference ofU,S, Mayors Michael Kirst, Professor of Education and Business Administration, Stanford University

December 1, 2005 Marlene Canter, President, LAUSD Board of Education Julie Korenstein, Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

Mike Lansing, Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

John Luaritzen, Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

David Tokofsky, Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

Mark Slavkin, former Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

Caprice Young, former Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

Vickie Castro, former Board Member, LAUSD Board of Education

Deccmber 8, 2005 Don Mullinax, former Inspector General, LAUSD Catherine Augustine, RAND Corporation

January 12, 2006 Valerie Flores, Assistant City Attorney, City of Los Angeles

February 23, 2006 Eric Garcetti, President, Los Angeles City Council Marlcnc Canter, President, LAUSD Board of Education

Julie Korenstein, Member, LAUSD Board of Education Mark Slavkin, Vice President for Education, Los Angeles Music Center, and former member of the LAUSD Board of Education

March 9, 2006

Dr. William Ouchi, Professor of Management, UCLA Anderson School of Management

March 23, 2006 Diane Ravitch, Research Faculty, Humanity and Social Science, New York University Tom Saenz, Counsel to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Michael Eugene, LAUSD Business Manager, Business Services Division

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 44 April 6, 2006 Jan Perr, President Pro Tempore, LA City Council Marlene Canter, President LAUSD School Board Jim McConnell, Chief Executive, Facilities Services Division, LAUSD Chris Espinosa, Office of the Mayor, Joint Use Agreements

May 11, 2006 George Gascon, Assistant Chief, Los Angeles Police Department, Offce of Operations

June 8, 2006 Kevin Reed, LAUSD General Counsel Linda Del Cueto, Assistant Superintendent of Staff Relations Carolina Pavio, Certificated Employment Operations Branch Administrator

June 15, 2006 Rick Schwab, Labor attorncy for UTLA and CTA

June 22, 2006 State Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 45 APPENDIX C

LIST OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH MEETINGS

September 20, 2005 6 PM Roosevelt Senior High School 465 S, Matthews Street, Boyle Heights 90033

September 26, 2005 6 PM Sherman Oaks Center for Emiched Studies 18605 Erwin Street, Reseda 91335

October 10,2005 6 PM university Senior High School 11800 Tcxas Avenue, Los Angeles 90025

October 18,2005 6 PM South Gate Park Municipal Auditorium 4900 Southern Avenue, South Gate 90280

November 1, 2005 6 PM Gardena High School 1301 W, 182nd Street, Gardena 90248

November 5, 2005 10 AM San F emando High School 11133 O'Melveny Avenue, Pacoima 91340

K ovember 10, 2005 6 PM Washington Preparatory High School 10860 S, Denker Ave, Los Angeles 90047

February 25, 2006 10 AM Stephen M, White Middle School 22102 South Figueroa Street, Carson 90745

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 46 February 27, 2006 6:00 PM Ramona Hall 4580 North Figueroa Street, Highland Park 90042

March 2, 2006 6:30 PM Port of Los Angeles Charter High School 250 West 5"' Street, San Pedro 90731

March 18, 2006, 9:30 AM Los Angeles City College, on behalf of the LA Citywide Alliance of Neighborhood Councils 855 N, Vermont Ave, Los Angeles 90029

March 28, 2006 6:30 PM Marvin Braude Constituent Center 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys 91401

Apri11, 2006 6:30 PM Los Angeles Convention Center 9:30 AM 120 i South Figueroa, Los Angeles 90015

April 5, 2006 6:30 PM Plummer Park Community Center 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, Wcst Hollywood 90069

April 8, 2006 10 AM Byrd Middle School 9171 Telfair Avenue, Sun Vallcy 91352

April 29, 2006 9 AM Santee High School 192 i South Maple A venne, Los Angeles 900 11

May 13,200610 AM Mark Ridley Thomas Constituent Service Center 8475 South Vermont Ave, Los Angeles 90044

Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance 47