AB 1381 is Unconstitutional: It’s Official

The court’s 3-0 vote today upholds the findings of the Superior Court that

WEST SACRAMENTO – The Second District Court of Appeal has unanimously rejected Assembly Bill 1381, the 2006 law that sought to narrow the locally elected school board’s authority over Los Angeles Unified School District schools and effectively shifted it to a Council of Mayors dominated by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Scott P. Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association, issued the following statement regarding today’s ruling:

“We’ve said all along that AB 1381 violated the state’s constitution and, today, we received the ultimate affirmation of this stance. With this distraction finally behind us, it’s important for all the parties involved to get back to the business of California’s schools.”

The decision, issued today in Los Angeles, upholds a trial court determination last December that the measure denied the school district’s voters their proper voice in governing the state’s largest school district. “The citizens of Los Angeles have the constitutional right to decide whether their school board is to be appointed or elected,” says the ruling.