LAUSD superintendent has plans to decentralize district, report says

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Tuesday, November 6, 2018
LAUSD superintendent has plans to decentralize district, report says
LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is working on a secret plan to decentralize the school district by making campuses more autonomous, according to the Los Angeles Times.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is working on a secret plan to decentralize the school district by making campuses more autonomous, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The proposal, which has been in the works behind closed doors, would divide the school system into 32 so-called networks.

The teacher's union condemns the plan, saying it's a scheme toward privatization, in which schools compete for resources, leaving parents and students behind.

"Austin Beutner should be figuring out how he spends the record-breaking $1.86 billion in reserves on urgent student needs, instead of spending time with high-priced, unaccountable consultants plotting the downsizing of a district that serves all students," said UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl in a statement.

Beutner hasn't comment publicly. He is expected to make the plan public next month.

MORE: LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner marks 'Attendance Matters Day' with visits to students' homes

The top educator in LAUSD, Superintendent Austin Beutner, went door-to-door Friday on "Attendance Matters Day," meeting with families who have children struggling to attend class.