The 50% dropout lie -- a Yolie Flores Aguilar excuse for privatization

The reactionary right wing has repeated the lie about LAUSD's dropout rate being 50% for so long, that all enemies of public schools repeat it ad infinitum without checking their facts. Steve Barr, Marco Petruzzi, and Ben Austin cite it at any opportunity to justify their lucrative privatization scheme. Yolie Flores Aguilar and Monica Garcia have allowed it to be stated from the podium at LAUSD board meetings by paid "activists" with vested interests in Flores Aguilar's corporate school choice resolution while gushing about how great they think the resolution is [1]. Mayor Villaraigosa, while careful not to discuss any schools under his cognizance, has helped perpetuate the 50% myth as well.

While the myth has helped the privatization wrecking crew forward their money making and political advancement schemes, it is in fact just a myth. In Dropout rates improve in L.A. Unified, Howard Blume and Jason Song (Green Dot's biggest cheerleaders) detail LAUSD's at 26.4%. This is markedly down from the 31.7% of the previous year. Notice how neither figure matches the 50% figure constantly used by the corporatizers and privatizers, looks like Steve Barr and his ilk are caught in another lie. Too bad the LA Times wouldn't dream of running that story!

Dropout Rate Declines Almost 17% in L.A. Schools
Updated dropout statistics show improvement in LAUSD schools
Dropout rates improve in L.A. Unified

[1] In an act of utter obsequiousness, a woman told the Board Vice President at the July 14, 2009 LAUSD meeting that she was her "biggest fan." Yes, that Yolie Flores Aguilar, political opportunist extraordinaire, beyond unprincipled, and beholden to the highest bidders. The only thing that could have been more melodramatic would have been Ms. Flores Aguilar professing the same about Steve Barr or Ben Austin.