The departure of John Deasy

The removal of Superintendent John Deasy from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was predictable in view of the accumulation of problems in the past few months. His poor relationship with the Board of Education didn’t help matters.

Now is the time to start searching for a leader equipped with the skills and experience to deal with the second biggest school district in the nation. It’s time to put aside our differences and focus first and foremost on students’ learning above any other priority.

In this regard, it is worth emphasizing Deasy’s achievements during his tenure, which should stay in place. The past three and a half years have seen a marked improvement in the students’ performance, in both test results and graduation rates.

This improvement gave Deasy a significant support from Latino parents of English Language Learner students, who were worried that their children would remain academically relegated.

Deasy’s problems were in part political. His relationship with the Board of Education worsened as opposition candidates kept winning elections, which strained an already uneasy relationship with the Board’s majority.

On the other hand, technology was his death knell. The good idea of providing all of LAUSD students with computers led to a disastrous experience with IPads. And the implementation of a new scheduling system led to the loss of instructional time – especially at Jefferson High – for several weeks, highlighting the school leadership’s inability to act swiftly.

The interim appointment of Ramón Cortines will ensure the necessary continuity until a new superintendent is found.

This is a good opportunity to stabilize the LAUSD leadership. The district is going through a phase of instability during which it has had four superintendents in eight years, without counting this new tenure of Cortines.

We hope the Board of Education will opt this time for a stable, long-term vision that will put students’ learning first