School & District Management

Los Angeles School Board Reviewing Superintendent Deasy’s Performance

By Denisa R. Superville — October 01, 2014 1 min read
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Embattled Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy won’t know what his future with the district holds—at least until Oct. 21—when the school board is set to conduct his evaluation.

The board deliberated for four hours behind closed doors on Tuesday night to set the parameters for the evaluation, but took no other action against Deasy, who has been under fire in recent months for his handling of a $1.3 billion districtwide iPad program, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Critics—including the teachers union—are weary of what they term Deasy’s autocratic leadership style, and have been calling for his ouster.

Lesli Maxwell has a quick but comprehensive read hitting on some of the major factors and events leading up to this point, starting with Deasy’s threats last year to quit when he felt his reform efforts were being thwarted by the board, and culminating, most recently, with the troubled rollout of the iPad program.

But Deasy is not without his supporters. This week, two organizations dispatched letters to board members, asking them to carefully consider Deasy’s evaluation and the possible negative consequences his departure could have on the district. The Civic Alliance, a collection of civic organizations and business leaders, urged the board to keep Deasy at the helm to continue the district’s progress, including improving academic achievement for minority students.

“We are united in urging the LAUSD Board of Education to put our children’s interests first and retain Superintendent John Deasy,” the letter from the Civic Alliance read, according to The Los Angeles Times. “Discharging Superintendent Deasy will have devastating implications to the education of our children, throwing the District into chaos with yet another transition at LAUSD.”

Deasy came to the district as deputy superintendent four years ago, and he recently told The Los Angeles Times that he is not sure his priorities still dovetail with the board’s.

A version of this news article first appeared in the District Dossier blog.