Opinion: What would Juan Flores think?

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It is said that the bandit Juan Flores -- who had a brief but legendary career that included ambushing a sheriff and his posse and temporarily evading arrest by plunging down a granite cliff face, such a daring feat that the peak was named for him -- was hanged in 1857 at what is now the Beaudry Avenue headquarters of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The event was watched by an angry crowd of 3,000 people, practically the entire population of the pueblo.

The crowd could approach that size today at Beaudry as the school board gets ready to vote on a resolution that would let outside operators such as charters and the mayor’s education partnership submit proposals to run 50 schools opening up in the next few years. The new version of the proposal would do the same for the 200 or so existing schools that are considered failing under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Charter and community organizations that favor the proposal have been mobilizing parents to show up as early as an hour and a half before the board even brings up the resolution to let board members know that they will not be happy if the resolution is rejected. United Teachers Los Angeles, the most high-profile opponent, has also called out its troops to ‘pack’ the board meeting.

In the early days of the summer, the resolution’s chances looked iffy at best, but parents groups are pushing hard to send trustees a message that if they don’t vote for the resolution, they can expect a political hanging when they face re-election. Conversely, UTLA bankrolled a number of the campaigns that put the current board in power.

The Times’ editorial board has enthusiastically endorsed the resolution as one of the most promising, child-centered initiatives to come along in the district over the last several years, as long as it is passed without several poison-pill amendments that also were placed on today’s agenda.

The vote could be close. One thing is certain: The search for a parking space around Beaudry today will be tougher than the posse’s job tracking down Juan Flores.

-- Karin Klein