Your donation will help us produce journalism like this. Please give today.

Via The Los Angeles Times | By the Editorial Board

With John Deasy no longer in charge at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the school board needs a new superintendent who shares his passion for improving the lives of children in poverty, but not his adversarial approach or his refusal to listen to critics.

Even if the board finds such a person, however, that alone won’t clear the poisonous atmosphere or do away with the rancorous politics that regularly slow progress at L.A. Unified. Even the world’s most talented and collaborative superintendent will not be effective in a district where opposing camps are at war over high-stakes testing and weakening of teacher job protections, and where the board regularly interferes in minor administrative work.

In fact, the board’s reputation for grandstanding, micromanagement and factional conflict could well diminish its ability to draw top candidates.

Read the full editorial here.