Teachers seek control at up-for-bid L.A. Unified schools

[tonysam]

A plan to let outside groups bid for control of dozens of long-struggling and new local campuses has unleashed a formidable competitor: Groups of teachers from inside the Los Angeles Unified School District are vying to take charge of their schools.

At every location up for bid -- 12 existing schools and 18 new campuses -- teams of teachers and the L.A. teachers union are working nights and weekends to decide what to offer students and parents and what they would require of them and of themselves.

They are trying to take advantage of a reform strategy, approved in August, that envisioned bringing in privately operated charter schools to set the standard for a school system widely seen as dysfunctional.

The union, United Teachers Los Angeles, also is trying to block charter takeovers through litigation. But rank-and-file teachers, with backing from the union and, in some cases, from the school district, are planning to compete with the charters, and they plan to win.

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We'll see if this is successful.

[montanto]

1. My wife and I are directly involved in this.

Though I think the campus that I am on has successfully destroyed our effort, my wife is working on the individual plans for several other schools to take space on new campuses that are otherwise going to go to charters. This is probably the last year that any kind of teacher led, grass roots school reform will have a chance in LAUSD. My wife works on this stuff night and day, throughout the holidays, etc., for virtually no compensation while the corporations fund the competition. The only reason that the union is on our side at all at this point is a direct result of our (but primarily my wife's)actions. Every day there is a new challenge, a new obstacle to overcome, and lots of people's personal interests and student's futures on the line plus a 250 page or so proposal due this week. We'll see indeed.

[FBaggins]

2. This sounds like a magnificent idea!

A "Charter" school where teachers bypass the administrative mess and run it themselves? I love it!