The ever-present dilemma for Los Angeles Unified School District leaders is whether to push for more and faster changes, because most students are not yet at grade level in reading and math, or opt for a slower course and stable in a district. This is his fifth superintendent in 10 years.
Right now, stability is the best option. Despite the problems the district has on several fronts, it has been taking some good steps: directing more attention and resources to improving the achievement of black students, adopting the “science of reading” approach to literacy instruction and investing in community schools, which provide health, recreational and other services to students and, in some cases, neighborhoods. These initiatives deserve to be maintained.
The Superintendent's decision is less wise. Alberto Carvalho will move away from Primary Promise, an intensive tutoring program that successfully caught up younger students in literacy and math, in favor of an intervention that spans more grades and uses already overworked teachers.
It might have been a wrong move, but going back would be worse right now. Carvalho needs a chance to test his ideas and the board is smart not to micromanage them. It takes time for new programs to demonstrate their value or lack thereof. A stable school board will give the superintendent room to succeed and hold him accountable if he doesn't.
Maintaining this stability is one of the main reasons we recommend that voters re-elect school board member and retired principal Scott Schmerelson to a final four-year term in District 3, which covers the western San Fernando Valley. Although he tends to side with the teachers union United Teachers Los Angeles, he has also made independent-minded decisions. One example: He opposed the move to gut the school police department, even though UTLA had called for it to be eliminated. At the time, the district had not even assessed its security needs and the education veteran was right to put school security first.
He has been effective in bringing popular magnet schools to his district, although he should also work harder to bring them to other parts of LAUSD.
Schmerelson has worked with the board to reach reasonable solutions rather than taking ideological positions. At least two of the seven board seats will change hands this year because George J. McKenna III and Jackie Goldberg are retiring, making it even more important that Schmerelson remain on the board to avoid disruptions.
When asked about his goals for the last term, Schmerelson said he wanted to continue working on current initiatives, such as community schools. That's fine, but if she keeps her seat, she should look for new ways to improve children's educational experience, not warm that seat for the next four years.
Four people are running to replace him in the March primary. The main rival, Dan Chang, teaches mathematics at James Madison High School in North Hollywood. He has a long association with charter schools and school reform organizations, although he now teaches in a traditional public school. Chang is smart, dynamic and eager to change things, but when asked how he would do it, he talked about updating teacher training and staff meetings to make them more relevant and less boring. He's fair, but that's not at the top of LAUSD's list of needs, and even most teachers are more concerned about class sizes, discipline, and the mental health of their students.
The other candidates are parent advocate Elizabeth Badger, parent and school volunteer Andreas Farmakalidis and parent activist Raquel Villalta.
But Schmerelson is clearly the strongest of the five candidates, and his experience and balanced leadership is what the board needs right now.
