The Country’s Second Largest School District Enters a New Era
- Cassy Horton
California Charter School Association
After the forced resignation of former Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy, a relative calm had returned to the district. However, just months after the California Charter School Association (CCSA) had paid millions to purchase the School Board in the 2017 elections, chaos had been reintroduced. Newly elected Board President Ref Rodriguez had been forced from his leadership position after being indicted on criminal charges related to his campaign but was refusing to resign from his board seat. With their narrow majority in danger, the “Broad Block” elected Monica Garcia President of the Board and dug in to satisfy the interests of their corporate masters before their inevitable loss of control.
It would be almost a year after his indictment before Rodriguez was finally forced from office. Even an arrest for public drunkenness did not hasten the process. The “Broad Block” made the most of their time, making significant changes culminating with the hiring of Superintendent Austin Beutner behind closed doors, even though he did not have any professional experience in education.
