Does The Public Bore John Deasy?

The LAUSD certainly does not make it easy for parents to participate in meetings of their school board. First, the meetings are held during the workday. Then, a maximum capacity of 155 people resulted Tuesday in a line outside the building that did not move until an hour into the meeting when people were finally informed that they could watch the proceedings from an overflow location. This was located in the cafeteria where little could be heard over the din of employees’ conversations as they ate their lunch. Even worse, to watch from the overflow you had to give up your place in line and there was no communication from the boardroom when space became available.

Fortunately, there were parents who cared enough about the issues facing the district that they overcame these hurdles to speak before the Board. It is too bad that the Superintendent did not appear to be listening. He filled his mouth with snacks, flipped through papers and held side conversations as people expressed their opinions. Even the act of directly addressing him by name did not seem to gain his attention.

On his website, Dr. Deasy says that “We are LAUSD. We will do this together--the LAUSD community, parents, students, and our community partners--so that we can share our strengths and improve upon our shortcomings.” Unfortunately, his actions do not seem to support his words. Perhaps he needs to remember that the people who bore him also pay his salary.

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