Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
LAUSD superintendent resigns from Scholastic board
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent of Schools Ramon Cortines.
(
David McNew/Getty Images
)
Listen
1:00
LAUSD superintendent resigns from Scholastic board
LAUSD superintendent resigns from Scholastic board
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines said today he is resigning from the board of directors of a major textbook publisher with millions of dollars in contracts with the school district.
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the Scholastic Corporation had paid Superintendent Ramon Cortines close to $500,000 in cash and stocks in the last three years for his services on the company’s board of directors.
In a statement, Cortines said he’ll resign from the Scholastic board to end what observers might consider a conflict of interest.
He’d said he abstained from major decisions about Scholastic. The current L.A. Unified board backed Cortines. But a former board member said the arrangement affected the district’s purchasing oversight and a lobbyist said Scholastic enjoyed an unfair business advantage because of Cortines’s seat on its board.
In an editorial this week, Business Week magazine suggested that the ethics violations were simple and urged the board of education to pressure Cortines to sever his ties. A federal filing last year revealed that Cortines owns more than 4,000 shares of Scholastic Corporation stock. An L.A. Unified spokesman said he didn’t know what the superintendent plans to do with that stock.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
