Turf battles won’t fix the schools
Re “School Takeover Plan: Too Big an Assignment?” Dec. 6
Rather than engage L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a meaningful dialogue about making the Los Angeles Unified School District more accountable, the West Hollywood City Council engages in meaningless posturing and turf battles. Currently no municipality has any legal authority over the school district, and each one’s influence over board policy is insignificant, so it is hard to see what power West Hollywood would be ceding if the mayor of Los Angeles headed the school district.
When you compare West Hollywood’s 801 students with the more than half a million who reside in Los Angeles, it seems irresponsible for West Hollywood to thwart meaningful reform of this dysfunctional system based on the egos of a few small-town politicians.
Rather than put obstacles in front of Villaraigosa, the smaller cities in the district need to focus on how to best serve our children.
STEVE MARTIN
West Hollywood
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