8 out of 10 of the Mayor's Schools Give Villaraigosa an F

Los Angeles' "photo-op" Mayor has spent the past few weeks with the word 'FAILURE' hanging over him, so to speak, thanks to Los Angeles Magazine's recent cover story on Villaraigosa's approaching second term in office. Now it seems that the bulk of his Partnership schools within the LAUSD have also given the Mayor an 'F' in the form of a "thumbs down from teachers," according to the LA Times, adding:

Eight out of 10 schools delivered a "no confidence" vote, and we're talking landslides (84 to 17 at Santee Education Complex, 96 to 13 at Stevenson Middle School, 70 to 13 at Gompers Middle School, 61 to 8 at Markham Middle School and 184 to 15 at Roosevelt High, which the mayor himself once attended).

Teachers have shouldered a tremendous amount of dissatisfaction in local leadership lately, from elected officials like Villaraigosa, to the Board of Education members, of whom five out of seven voted yesterday to approve a radically reduced budget that will lead to layoffs, loss of programs, and increased class sizes.

Teachers who participated in the vote regarding the mayor and his school Partnership believe that the future of their schools is grim, noting that they have grown weary of his "empty promises," leaving many to question if the Partnership itself can and should remain intact. Although full of ideas once the Mayor intervened and set up the low-performing schools to function under his wing, teachers on the campuses feel they are operating without much support. In fact, comments one teacher from Santee, the Mayor tends to focus on appearances, and not real changes: "I've seen him for photo ops and that's about it. Hit and run. He takes pictures and leaves."