Ms. García and Ms. Martinez presented their Board “Resolution to Examine Increasing Choice and Removing Boundaries for Neighborhood Schools.”  I am glad that LAUSD is looking at enrollment.  We’ve long advocated that the LAUSD school choice processes are too complex and thus inaccessible to many families.  What is not readily clear from the resolution is if it was written with an awareness of the existing school choice options.  Also absent from the resolution is any mention of families in which the child is the one seeking a choice and the parents, for whatever reason, are not driving the discussion. I like the idea of having a wide discussion about school choice in LAUSD, best stated here.  I look forward to the reading the Superintendent’s report in 90 days which should recommend actionable steps.  I’m curious who is going to be tasked with researching and writing the report?

 

For those of you unfamiliar with Board resolutions they start with a series of “Whereas” clauses stating the need for action, and are followed with a series of “Resolved” actionable steps.  

Full resolution:
4. Ms. García, Ms. Martinez – Resolution to Examine Increasing Choice and Removing Boundaries for Neighborhood Schools (Noticed January 10, 2012)

Whereas, The Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District is responsible for ensuring that children educated in the District have the opportunity to receive a quality education; to earn a meaningful, college preparatory high school diploma; and to graduate college-prepared and career-ready;

Whereas, Every child is unique with special talents, strengths and needs, and school placement decisions must therefore be made in the best educational needs of each individual student, addressing such factors as proximity to home, areas of academic interest, and interest in specific educational supports;
Whereas, Research validates that parental involvement in public schools is a key factor in producing measurable gains in student academic success, closing the achievement gap, reducing dropout rates, increasing graduation rates, promoting positive adolescent behavior, and furthering student's emotional development;
Whereas, A parent/guardian has the right to demand what his/her child needs to succeed in school, and should have the right to consider school atmosphere, class size, test scores, before- and after- school programs, specific academic focus, and proximity to the home, when deciding where a student will obtain his/her education;
Whereas, In-district models for open enrollment policies illustrate the ways in which they support accelerated academic achievement. These include the Belmont Zone of Choice, which offers 17 different pilot schools and Small Learning Communities from which incoming 9th graders and their families may choose, and the Kennedy Zone of Choice, which offers six small schools from which students and their families may choose; and
Whereas, The current Open Enrollment Transfer process provides opportunities for families to choose District schools outside of their attendance boundaries, but is unnecessarily limited in the number of students that may participate; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District instructs the Superintendent to develop a plan that would consider removing boundaries for schools in order to give parents the flexibility for their children to take advantage of all seats in high-performing schools, and, be it finally
Resolved, That the Superintendent will return to the Board within 90 days with alternatives and recommendations for a new Open Enrollment Policy that will serve all students District-wide and will allow all students and their families to select the school that best meets students' educational needs.