LAUSD Superintendent Ad

The following appeared as a full-page ad in the March 30th Los Angeles City and San Fernando Valley editions of the Los Angeles Times:

Five Priorities for the New LAUSD Superintendent

The fate of all Angelenos is determined by the academic achievement of our youth.
No one person has more power than the Superintendent to affect the ability of our school system to graduate students with the skills that will ultimately fuel the region’s economic engine. The Los Angeles Unified School District requires a candidate who is capable of leading the institution toward significant improvements in student achievement.

LAUSD is at a critical crossroads in its stated mission “to educate all students to a higher level of achievement that will enable them to be responsible individuals and productive members of the greater society.” Achieving this mission will require a dynamic leader, skilled in various dimensions of leadership. The process to select the next Superintendent must be fair, transparent, thorough and open. It must provide pertinent information regarding the search and selection process as it unfolds, and be responsive to students, parents, teachers and the greater Los Angeles community.

Urban Los Angeles, and its surrounding communities, need a Superintendent who will:

1. Prepare Our Students
Ensure our schools prepare students for 21st century work, college and future success. Specifically, the next Superintendent must:

1. Work to reduce the alarming student dropout rates.
2. Guide the implementation of the college preparatory curriculum and the career-technical education high school graduation requirements.
3. Dedicate sufficient resources to support teachers, schools and communities in their transition to Small Learning Communities.

2. Educate the Most Vulnerable
Ensure that the District’s English learning and special education students receive the quality education necessary to graduate, ready for postsecondary and career success.

3. Train Our Teachers
Increase teacher salary and accountability and develop agreements that focus on professional development opportunities for teachers to ensure academic success for every student.

4. Streamline Bureaucracy
Reduce unnecessary administrative costs, including personnel, to focus the District’s financial and human resources on students and schools.

5. Provide Accountable Leadership
Engage, respond to and be accountable to all parents, students and the broader Los Angeles community by:

1. Setting goals and measurable objectives in collaboration with stakeholders and by periodically reporting progress.
2. Offering professional development for teachers and staff to best utilize the resources that parents bring to the learning process.

LAUSD needs a strong and dynamic leader to take the District to a higher level of performance. It can be the best urban school district in the country, and the time to begin that journey is now.

View the list of organizations and individuals who endorsed this statement.

Click here for updates on the LAUSD Superintendent selection process.

If you have any questions or comments that you would like to direct to the community foundation, please contact Linda Wong, vice president of civic engagement, communications and adminstration, at (213) 413-4130.