"Without a public explanation, I would demand an investigation to determine the legality and propriety of the sudden write-off of $7,678,022 in over-allocation debt."
- BD3 Candidate Richard S. Ramos
Richard S. Ramos is running against incumbent Scott Schmerelson in LAUSD's Board District 3, which covers most of the western San Fernando Valley. As part of my ongoing Candidate Forum series, Ramos was asked five questions about PROP-39 co-locations. For the introduction to this subject along with answers from other candidates, please see the article LAUSD Candidate Forum: PROP-39 Co-Locations.
The following are the candidate's responses, printed exactly how he provided them with the exception of some minor formatting edits:
- Question 1: Do you support the "Creating a Charter Schools Co-Location Policy to Mitigate Impacts Caused by Proposition 39" authored by Board President Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rocio Rivas? Yes
It is crucial to avoid Proposition 39 co-locations on school sites with the District's 100 Priority Schools, BSAP Schools, and Community Schools. Through policy, we can safeguard schools, and school-site shared decision-making can focus on addressing the unique needs of the students. I would advocate expanding the District Magnet office to support the District's 100 Priority Schools, BSAP schools, and Community Schools to expand Magnet Centers specializing in careers like AI, STEAM, STEM, business, etc.; this would better meet our communities' educational needs, including space utilization of any empty classrooms.
- Question 2: Under The way that PROP-39 is currently implemented, rooms used to provide Special Education Services are considered to be "empty" and must be turned over to a charter school to satisfy its demand for space. As a Board member would you work to end this discriminatory practice? Yes
As a special education advocate and LAUSD principal, I am committed to addressing space utilization on LAUSD campuses. The current implementation of PROP-39, which considers rooms used for Special Education Services as "empty" and potentially reallocates these classrooms to charter schools, is a concerning practice that needs reform.
I'd advocate ending this practice of classifying rooms used for Special Education Services as "empty". Schools must be able to utilize classrooms for itinerant special education services, including psychological services, adaptive physical education (APE), learning lab interventions, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. These services are mandated under Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and are crucial for the academic and personal development of students with disabilities.
- Question 3: The text of PROP-39 specifies that charter schools that base their space requests on inflated enrollment must pay an over-allocation fee. Currently, charter schools have a past-due balance of $3,708,006. As a Board Member would you revoke the charter of any school that refused to pay these fees when a bill is presented? YES
I support enforcing PROP-39's requirement that charter schools pay over-allocation fees for inflated enrollment reports. I'd prioritize due process to address non-payment issues. The financial impact of inflated student enrollment numbers should be carefully investigated while ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Question 4: In April of last year $7,678,022 of over-allocation debt was suddenly wiped off of the balance sheet without any explanation to the public. As a Board Member would you demand an investigation to determine whether this write-off was legal and proper? Yes
Without a public explanation, I would demand an investigation to determine the legality and propriety of the sudden write-off of $7,678,022 in over-allocation debt.
- Question 5: The North Valley Military Institute (NVMI) was co-located on the campus of Sun Valley High School / Valley Oaks Center For Enriched Studies (VOCES) when one of its administrators was accused of "abhorrent child sex abuse" against a student. It does not appear that parents of students on the public school campus were ever notified about these accusations. As a Board Member would you terminate the PROP-39 lease agreement for any charter school that put LAUSD students at a district campus in danger?
Given California's litigious climate and considering that the case is currently pending, I would wait to evaluate until all aspects of the case have been thoroughly examined and all relevant information is available.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him "a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles." For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.
