WHAT APPLAUSE FOR LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT RAMON CORTINES? HERE IT COMES AMID THE CONSTANT TURMOIL BRUNTING UP AGAINST THE SCHOOLS AND THE CITY OF LA – A SMALL GLIMMER OF HOPE

By Diana L. Chapman

While the soot is simmering down and the controversy and mayhem in Los Angeles and her schools has leapfrogged to the next ugly battle, I kept my judgment quiet for a time over a charter issue and watched others beat up Los Angeles Unified Schools Superintendent Ramon Cortines.

It’s clear, many critics charged, that Cortines failed to overhaul the massive district. He had the chance to allow the takeovers of 36 schools that were up for grabs to outside operators, either non-profits or charters. Some contend Cortines paled at using charter schools, they argued, the best possible pathway to break up and improve the district, which serves 617,000 plus students and resides over 891 “traditional” schools.

Cortines set off a furor when he opted to convert only four of those 36 campuses that the school board put up for grabs “under public school choice” approved last year.

Call the sup overly picky, or underhanded or in my case “wise,” to take it a few schools at a time, there’s one thing that’s apparent – he’s using the competitive edge to clean up his schools; those campuses that remain lackluster and show failure to improve likely will face the same competitive gauntlet again next year.

I have my own reasons for not wanting many more charters in Los Angeles.

I fear them.

I don’t believe they are the best or brightest way to break up the gargantuan Los Angeles district – or improve it; More, I see it as a dangerous vehicle to our constitutional right to public education as the popularity and trend of charters sweeps like tidal wave across the nation.

It’s the very thing that all of us need to understand and protect – the right to education for every American citizen. My biggest concerns at the moment remain at the heart of what’s in it for special education students? LAUSD has many resources for these children; charters do not.

What will happen with those children?

Danny Weil, author of the Charter School Movement, who has researched the topic from a national level takes it even further, contending that testing companies and the private book industry can make a fortune off privatizing education. A movement exists among the educational elite of school administrators and these companies to turn charters into cash cows – starting with putting a city’s educational system under mayoral oversight.

Worse:

“The real goal with charters is vouchers,” claims Weil, who has studied it systematically. “Get all the poor youth of color into large charter chains and then give vouchers to white suburbia so they do not have to attend the city schools. Trojan horses (is what they are) and that is what they have always been.”

The charter school trend signals the destruction of a “free” public education system, he argues. In other words, he claims, many states are allowing these schools to run for – gasp! – and this is truly scary – a profit.

Let me back up a bit here first and put this into perspective in our Los Angeles schools.

Los Angeles Unified has allowed more than 161 campuses already to become charters – the largest number in any school district in the nation. Those charters serve 67,000 students in kindergarten through 12^th grade, said Lydia Ramos, a district spokeswoman.

The school board has put in some safeguards – such as any entity stepping forward must have a non-profit status and also must be willing to serve the areas students. But there are ways around this and here is what I fear if we keep adding them:

· --Charters don’t follow the same stringent regulations of the state and can kick students out and return them to regular public schools, which in turn, have to accept those students

· --Adding charters will be like inserting hundreds of more tentacles to an already tangled octopus of the Los Angeles educational system which will have little manpower – especially during the current budget crises – to check on their accountability

· --That elsewhere, charters have become organizations that are not run by non-profits, but by for profit entities

Charters have ended up a lot like Los Angeles Unified Schools – some good, some terrible and some in between. Cortines knows this. So it makes sense to take it slowly when handing off our schools.

That’s why I’m applauding Cortines, for keeping a careful watch over where any new charters head.

I honestly can’t get my arms around Weil’s philosophy, but I admit to nagging persistent questions – such as why a Los Angeles middle school charter was allowed to fire two teachers who wanted to teach -- during Black History Month -- about the hanging death of Emmett Till for allegedly whistling at a white woman– a piece of history school officials claimed was too emotional for students.

Hello? This is a true chunk of American History and middle school is often the best time to teach about racism and ethnic morality.

And what about the charter in New Jersey that refused to allow a citizen access to public records – even through the Freedom of Information Act – even though it’s a quote “public” school. And why can charters so easily kick out students and send them back to public schools – when charters are also public entities?

Many charters use the “cookie cutter” approach to education in the inner city – also disconcerting as it fails to allow for free thinking to flow and for students to mold opinions from the information they are receiving.

Weil – who has spent countless hours researching the issues of the charter trend and shares them in his book – said the charter movement kicked off in the early 1990s and now 4,000 such schools exist in the nation educating one million students.

Further, he adds, he doesn’t trust anyone and can see a pattern lining up with for-profit schools, high end officials and the privatization of education.

“Follow the money trail,” he said.

While I have difficult embracing this concept, it still nags at me: What if he’s right?

Diana L. Chapman, a Los Angeles writer for many years, can be reached at hartchap@cox.net.

KITE FLYERS AT 22ND STREET PARK IN SAN PEDRO COME FROM ALL OVER THE
SOUTH BAY; ABOVE SAN PEDRO HIGH SCHOOL BROTHERS MARSALLES AND LELAND WILLIAMS HELP YOUNGSTERS MAKE KITES

Chris Davies and his 5-year-old Alex fly kites together

Heidi Hernandez, 11, flies her kite alongside a ship kite


Two people struggle to put their toy together


Martin Garcia, 7, changes his attitude overnight
after a professional kite flier gave him a kite

A KITE FLY AWAY: RESIDENTS FROM INGLEWOOD TO LAWNDALE COME TO SAN PEDRO TO FLY KITES; AND ONE GRANDMOTHER OUTLINES THE MIRACLE THAT THE KIWANIS’ KITE FLYING ACCOMPLISHED FOR HER 7-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON

By Diana L. Chapman

A colorful variety of kites took to the skies in San Pedro last Saturday, bringing residents from all over the South Bay for fresh outdoor family fun.

Many San Pedro residents attended the 22^nd Street Park experience saying they greatly appreciated the effort, hosted by the Kiwanis’s Club as the community’s first annual kite fly led by resident James Weston.

With tricky winds, most kites weren’t up until the afternoon as scores of kids kept pouring in lining up at a table to make the historical toys.

Thomas Davies, 7, who dragged his Transformers kite to the event, had his toy up early, plucking at the string like a guitar and moving with the fickle wind. Somehow, despite it being his first time flying, he was able to keep his toy flying longer than many adults.

“Well, when I first started, it was hard to get it up,” Thomas explained proudly, his dimples glowing. “And now it’s been up awhile.”

Janice and Chris Davies of Lawndale, Thomas’s parents who brought along their 5-year-old Alex , said they spotted the event in the newspaper and were happy they attended.

“Alex is five and he doesn’t want to let out the string,” Janice laughed, “which is a problem. I think this is great. It gets the families out in the fresh air. It’s a classic form of entertainment. There’s no videos. No T.V.”

No one was happier that day than San Pedro resident Karen Allen who said she tried everything to make her grandson, Martin Garcia, 7, who attends 15^th Street Elementary School, feel included and happy.

Martin was depressed, had difficulties connecting with people and struggled to do his homework.

Then a small miracle happened. Martin with his sister, Isis Allen, 5, and “Auntie Heidi “Hernandez, 11, went to a San Pedro High’s clean up event on March 20, in which kite fliers connected to the Kiwanis’s club attended.

Professional kite flier Janis Sabic gave Martin a kite donated by fellow kite flier Glenn Rothstien. Designed as a classic sailing vessel, it changed Martin’s behavior over night.

He slept with the kite each night, did his homework, his grades went from 2s to 3s and 4s, he quit fighting with his sister and the day of annual event – he called his grandma up at 6 a.m. and said he was ready. The event didn’t start for four more hours.

“He was just having such a hard time with self esteem,” the grandmother said. “Lately, he’s been so happy and the kite has meant so much to him. He now feels he’s part of a group of people. I had tried everything. Who knew it would be a kite?”

Martin, his aunt, and sister ran around with their kites, struggling to get them up in the air. Thomas didn’t care. He was screaming with thrills his kite, tripping behind him – and sometimes ahead of him.

“This teaches you how to fly a kite and I liked the running around and how it flies,” Thomas said excitedly. “It’s interesting how it works and it has good colors.”

San Pedro resident Anthony Watts brought his 3-year-old son, Jadon.

“It’s very refreshing and its very fun. It’s a lot of good energy,” Watts said.

Jeannine Shearing agreed.

“My husband Don and I took our three year old grandson Connor to the event knowing that he would either love learning how to try and fly his first kite, or have a great time watching others fly theirs. Luckily, he was able to do both. The Kiwanis had starter kites and plenty of patience in helping children put them together. Connor got the kite up three times and stared with amazement each time. He was then content to sit on the grass and watch others fly their kites.

It was a wonderful day.”

So much so that Kiwanis Club President Tim McDannold, added: “There’s no doubt we’ll do this once again. I’d like to do it more than once a year. We’ve got to give kids more choices in life whether they join a gang or go fly a kite.”

The annual kite fly was the brainchild of James Weston, whose family has had longtime ties to kites. First his brother, then his mother, Monty, owned Up Up & Away, a popular kite store in Seal Beach.

James met his wife, Monica, through his mother’s kite flying friends. When his mother died, his sister-in-law took over the store. It’s a cinch their daughter, Mae, 1, will learn to fly them.

Weston said he was pleased with the event – as he spent much time on the grass helping children get their kites up in the air.

He’s not sure what he’ll do next to bring the community together – his mission to make San Pedro a happier place. Perhaps, he said, a chili-cook-off is in order.

In the meantime, Martin was still running about screaming in delight as his grandmother looked happily on and said: “I will volunteer for them anytime.”