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LAUSD Superintendent May Be Stepping Down
LAUSD superintendent John Deasy might be stepping down after three years on the job.Deasy, 52, has been keeping mum about exactly what his plans are, but the Los Angeles Times reported that he has been telling some officials in the district that he plans to resign in February. Publicly, Deasy has only said that he hasn't submitted a letter of recommendation and that he will give more details about his future, after the board gives him his evaluation Tuesday.
One of the officials Deasy spoke with was Board of Education President Richard Vladovic. A spokesman for Vladovic Mike Trujillo said, "We are shocked. Dr. Vladovic is shocked, saddened and surprised."
There's a lot of speculation about what might have prompted Deasy to give the job second thoughts. Deasy lost an ally when Villaraigosa was termed out and when he lost some allies on the school board during the last election. He's been at odds with Vladovic—he even threatened to quit if Vladovic was elected president, though obviously that didn't happen. He's also been at odds with the teachers unions. And his ambitious rollout of a program outfitting students with iPads was pretty rocky to say the least.
Warren Fletcher, president of teachers union, sounded like he was already celebrating: "Deasy has ignored the concerns of the District's teachers and health and human services professionals for a very long time. UTLA is hopeful that the school board and the entire LAUSD community will take this opportunity to refocus the district back to its most basic mission: providing every student with a well-rounded education."
During Deasy's tenure, test scores have steadily increased. He had high hopes and when Los Angeles Magazine profiled him last year they called his ambitions the "school reform equivalent of NASA’s Apollo Program." He wanted every graduating senior to be prepared for college despite the fact that the budget is being cut every year. (New York City’s school system receives $18,618 a year in state and local funds for each student compared to the $5,800 that students in California receive.)
Previously, Deasy was the deputy superintendent under his predecessor Ramon Cortines who retired in 2011.
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