Urgently requesting a meeting with the LAUSD Board President

[A] harbinger of how public education may look should the resolution pass. In fact, the closed meetings stand as metaphors for how the majority of charter management organizations work: undemocratic, top down, run by noneducators, and unaccountable to the communities where they operate. — Robert D. Skeels (Social Justice Education Essayist)


President Garcia:

I've sent a paper letter in the mail. I've left multiple voicemail messages with several extensions in your office. I've sent multiple email messages. I have not have any success scheduling a meeting with you.

In fact, one of your staff sent me this sardonic response:

I wanted to make sure you are aware that CRES#14 is part of Board District 5. I would invite you to contact Ms. Ana Ponce, Executive Director of Camino Nuevo, to address any questions you might have of the school.

To which I replied

Please understand that at least half of the attendance boundary for CRES #14 is comprised of District 2. Parents and community members have repeatedly tried address this with Ms. Ponce, CEO of the CNCA Corporation, and the matter remains unresolved.

Since LAUSD is the entity approving and authorizing the charter, our final recourse is to appeal directly to the LAUSD Board.

President Garcia you are the President of the Board of Education for the City of Los Angeles. Surely you can see that in addition to this school being partly in your District's attendance boundary, that ultimately, you as President are directly responsible for the content of this charter.

I know that my dogged advocacy of public education and my wide publication in social justice publications has seen me critical of both you and several of your staff members on many occasions.

However, please don't let any disdain you have for me personally cause you to ignore this burning issue at the expense of my entire community. Our community paid for this brand new multi-million dollar facility. From our community will come hundreds of children to attend this school. None of these people deserve to be ignored. If you don't want to meet with me alone, then let's schedule a meeting with the community. If need be, I won't attend. Just agree to meet with parents asking for the CRES #14 charter revisions that Vice President Flores promised when she gave the campus away to CNCA Corporation. We want this charter revised to reflect State law, Ms. Flores' promises, and the needs of the community. My community deserves better than the current injustice it is undergoing.

I'm pleading with you to do the right thing and give us a hearing. I understand how much wealth and power CNCA Corporation brings to bear on this issue, but ordinary working people deserve a voice too. Our voice is being patently ignored, our community disrespected, and an entire set of prospective students are being robbed.

Advocating Public Education and Social Justice

Robert D. Skeels

Urgently requesting a meeting with the LAUSD Board President