Readers React: Parents give LAUSD the silent treatment on superintendent search

Joe Farley, an associate with HYA Executive Search, asks just over a dozen parents at White Middle School in Carson what they wanted from the next LAUSD superintendent.

Nov. 8, 2015 12 AM PT

To the editor: Some folks feel the forums for seeking public input on the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District were “sparsely attended.” The Times even quoted a former school board member as saying, “Unfortunately, it is a sign of how disconnected our families feel from the district as a whole.” (“Can L.A. Unified get people to care about its next leader?,” Nov. 5)

Others, so confident in the district’s Board of Education and its ability to screen and select a new superintendent, did not feel there was much of a need for people to show up at the public events.

Everyone has an opinion, and they should. Now, school board members will have to roll up their sleeves to make an informed decision based on the significant data gathered from all quarters of the community. The community did its job; now it’s the board’s turn.

This whole process could conceivably remind the electorate of the salient words of G.K. Chesterton: “I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.”

Tom Kaminski, Redondo Beach

To the editor: As the parent of an L.A. Unified student, I’m not surprised by the low turnout at the meetings, because the effort to notify parents and encourage them to attend was poor.

I was aware of the online survey and took it, but even on the website, it didn’t tout the meetings. We received several phone calls about the one district-wide meeting, which was held at 6 p.m. near downtown L.A. — impossible for working parents who are trying to get their kids home, fed and into bed.

However, I was completely unaware of the two meetings closest to my home.

If the district is serious about reaching parents and gathering feedback, it should host meetings at times that are convenient for parents (weekends) and close to our neighborhood; the district should also offer child care or activities for children on site.

The search for the next superintendent is important, and parents deserve a meaningful opportunity to provide feedback.

Elisabeth Rosenson, Los Angeles

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