Compton : School Board Condemns State Takeover Proposal

School board members, outraged by an Assembly bill that calls for state control of the Compton Unified School District, last week passed a resolution condemning the proposed legislation.

The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Willard H. Murray Jr. (D-Paramount) during the last session of the Legislature, calls for the state superintendent of schools to take command of the district in an attempt to reverse plummeting test scores among Compton students, said board member Kelvin Filer.

Filer said he was “totally perplexed” by the assemblyman’s action, which he said could lead to a huge and dangerous expansion of the state superintendent’s power.

“The bill offers nothing that would indicate such an action would raise test scores, that the state could do anything other than what we are doing,” an angry Filer said. “We know our scores are a problem and raising them is our No. 1 priority.”

Filer said the board has written letters of protest to Murray and is urging districts around the state to pass similar resolutions. A spokeswoman with the assemblyman’s office said that the bill is not active and will probably not be introduced in the next session.