Judge rejects LAUSD takeover

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge struck down as unconstitutional Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s plan to take control of a number of Los Angeles public schools and to transfer authority for a number of vital district operations from the elected school board to the superintendent and a council of mayors.

In a Dec. 21 ruling, Judge Dzintra Janavs also rejected the mayor’s “partnership” plan to operate a demonstration project made up of three low-performing high schools and their elementary and middle “feeder” schools.

The ruling represented a total victory for plaintiffs, which included the Los Angeles Unified School District, local parents and the California School Boards Association’s Education Legal Alliance. They sued the state to overturn Assembly Bill 1381, the so-called “mayoral takeover” law, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for public education in California and reaffirms the unconstitutionality of AB 1381,” said Scott P. Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards Association. “We already have a school governance structure in place, and our focus needs to be on academic achievement. With the distraction of AB 1381 firmly behind us, we can get back to ensuring our children receive the best education possible.”

“CSBA and the Alliance have always believed these provisions of AB 1381 would be found unconstitutional by the courts and we are thankful that day has come before AB 1381 went into effect,” said Alliance Director Richard Hamilton.