An incompetent school district

Re “The clowns at LAUSD,” Opinion, Feb. 13

Tim Rutten’s column on the Los Angeles Unified School District is right on the money. One of the first things you learn in business is that you do everything you can to make sure that the payroll system is accurate and timely.

The fact that the payroll fiasco happened at all points out major flaws in the district’s management. That superintendent and board complacency let the errors go on for months before they took action is unconscionable.

If this situation happened in any business, several managers would be looking for new jobs.

However, in the LAUSD, no one is to blame, and the muddled bureaucracy continues to spend taxpayer dollars to patch a system that should never have been implemented. Is it not obvious that the whole LAUSD system is broken from the very top to the bottom? There is a need for drastic action because the education of L.A. children is failing.

The current structure is too large and obviously cannot be managed effectively by the board or superintendent. Break it into smaller segments and start over with fresh ideas and new faces.

Joel Mascitelli

Corona del Mar

Let’s not forget that the majority of this school board was brought to us by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. They were supposed to create accountability. Not! It took them seven months to take notice of this payroll fiasco. Without the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, this mess would never have been straightened out.

Paula Parr

Santa Clarita