Superintendent John Deasy's Letter of Resignation From LAUSD 101514
The LA Times has this report, “John Deasy resigns; Ramon Cortines named interim head of L.A. schools”:
As part of the separation agreement, Deasy will remain on paid “special assignment” with the district through the end of 2014. Under that arrangement he would receive more than 60 days’ pay from a salary of $350,000 per year. His contract, which was set to run through June 2016 requires a severance payment of only 30 days’ pay.
KPCC, Southern California’s public radio news station has this, “LA Unified superintendent John Deasy resigns; Cortines named interim replacement”:
11:32 a.m.: Decision to replace Deasy came in ‘past month’
Board member Steve Zimmer said the school board came to the decision to replace Deasy over the past month, agreeing that he was too divisive a personality to implement the enormous policy shifts the school district is ushering in, including a switch to the common core curriculum standards, new digital standardized tests and a massive technology expansion.
US News and World Report has this article, “Los Angeles Schools Chief Steps Down During Investigation”:
“While the district’s investigation into the Common Core Technology Project has not concluded, the board wishes to state that at this time, it does not believe that the superintendent engaged in any ethical violations or unlawful acts, and the board anticipates that the inspector general’s report will confirm this,” the district board of education said in a statement.
Another technological flub came this fall when a $130 million student record system, known as MiSIS, failed to launch as planned and left students at Jefferson High School waiting weeks before being assigned to classes, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Deasy also had a testy relationship with teachers, as he testified against the union this year in the Vergara v. California case that challenged – and subsequently invalidated – the state’s teacher tenure laws, saying the contested “last in, first out” policy could harm students.
CBS Local Los Angeles‘s report, “John Deasy Resigns As Superintendent of LAUSD”:
Deasy came to the LAUSD after working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He also worked as head of a districts in Maryland and Rhode Island and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District from 2001 to 2006.
UTLA has planned a 2 p.m. news conference on the resignation. They also plan to discuss their goals with a new superintendent, which include lowering class sizes, better pay for educators, parent engagement, a more well-rounded curriculum, among others.
Video via KTLA5:
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