MEMBERS OF THE BOARD LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

MONICA GARCIA, PRESIDENT Administrative Office

YOLIE FLORES 333 South Beaudry Avenue, 24th Floor
TAMAR GALATZAN Los Angeles, California 90017
MARGUERITE POINDEXTER LAMOTTE Telephone: (213) 241-7000
NURY MARTINEZ Fax: (213) 241-8442
RICHARD A. VLADOVIC
STEVEN ZIMMER RAMON C. CORTINES
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

March 5, 2010

To the LAUSD Staff and Community:

We are all well aware of the financial challenges that are facing us, but when I visited schools this week, I was
reminded by our teachers, administrators, classified and support staff that we can never forget that our
students and families need us now more than ever. I want to thank all of you for your passion and dedication.
Please know that you are appreciated.

During these difficult times we cannot lose sight of our dreams. Our Board of Education modeled this for us this
week. Even after having difficult financial discussions, they met on Thursday to discuss their dreams for our
students. Their main focus was on how we can improve the lives of our students.

Creating an organization where we know every child and adult by name and face is not an easy task. We need
to work together to personalize the learning experience for everyone in this great district, especially during
these difficult times. We can never forget students are our No. 1 priority.

On a weekly basis, I will be providing an update on our progress toward implementing our four core strategies
that will help us ensure all students graduate college-prepared and career-ready:

Data-based Instruction
Use data to drive all decision-making and ensure good first teaching for all students, coupled with support and
intervention when students need extra assistance.

As I stated in last week’s update, “All of our students should have universal access to high-quality first
instruction and that access is possible through the multi-tiered framework of instruction and intervention we are
implementing in our schools.” To this end, each Local District has identified 17–26 schools (160 schools
district-wide) that are a part of Cohort I. These schools receive Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2)
professional development that builds their capacity to implement a multi-tiered framework of instruction.

This first cohort of schools have been actively engaged in using the Problem-Solving Process to strengthen
core instruction (good first teaching provided by the classroom teacher) and provide strategic intervention
within the classroom. During professional development, School-Based Leadership Teams share their
experiences and challenges as they learn how to implement a multi-tiered/problem-solving process to improve
academic achievement, positive behavior support and increase attendance. The combination of professional
development for School-Based Leadership Teams, principal network groups and onsite collaborative work is
beginning to make a difference with our students.

Cohort 2 will be identified in the next two weeks. Please speak to your Local District Superintendent to get
involved. To learn more about the Problem-solving Process and other aspects of a multi-tiered framework of
instruction, please click on the following link: www.lausd.net/rti.

Don’t forget to register for the 4 LAUSD by LAUSD – Best Practices Conference scheduled Saturday, March
13, from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., at 450 N. Grand Ave., in downtown Los Angeles. Go to the Learning Zone
(https://lz.lausd.net), click on Class Offerings, to register.
Supporting all of our Employees
Strong leadership among all school stakeholders – administrators, teachers, students, classified staff and
parents – is essential for effectively managing schools.

On March 4, the Task Force held a working session to review and discuss recommendations regarding
Administrator Evaluation, Support Mechanisms and Legislation. These recommendations include enhancing
the evaluation process for administrators. Similar to the recommendations for teacher evaluations, committee
members propose an administrator evaluation process that incorporates feedback from multiple stakeholders
(e.g., parents, students, teachers, fellow administrators). The Support Mechanisms sub-committee considered
how to best support and develop teachers at each point along their career path. Recommendations include
providing intensive support for all new teachers, the development and support of teacher leaders throughout
the district, and making available a system of support for all teachers, even after teachers receive tenure.
Finally, the Legislative sub-committee considered the recommendations of all of the other sub-committees to
determine if recommendations for legislative changes need to be implemented to achieve the objectives of the
Task Force. For instance, this sub-committee recommends extending the Probationary Period for teachers
from two to four years – a recommendations also shared by the Tenure Sub-Committee. This would require
legislative action.

On March 9, the full Task Force will discuss the aforementioned recommendations. On March 16, a draft final
report from the Task Force will be released.

More information and reports are available at the Teacher Effectiveness Task Force website:
http://etf.lausd.net

Transparent Budgeting Update

We will bring funding and decision-making closer to schools and classrooms.

Our immediate focus is to close a projected $640 million gap for the 2010-11 school year due to continued
State cuts to education. On Tuesday, we face a critical deadline: The Board of Education must revisit the fiscal
stabilization plan that they adopted in December, taking into account additional State cuts made in January.
The plan outlines the reductions we will be forced to make if we are unable to find other revenue-generating or
cost-reduction solutions.

With each round of budget cuts, we look for more efficiencies and reevaluate every non-classroom and non-
school expenditure with the goal of making reductions as far away from our students as possible. The list of
recommendations I will propose to the Board includes new efficiencies and many additional reductions to
Central and Local District Offices and centrally-run programs. Some of these reductions will severely reduce
our ability to provide essential services, but they must be taken in order to protect our classrooms first.

With the magnitude of the cuts imposed by the State, we have little choice but to reach further into schools and
classrooms. Against my core beliefs, we will need to increase class sizes and reduce school support staff in
order to remain solvent, unless we can find other alternatives. These alternatives require a shared commitment
from all of us and an investment from our community to allow us to weather this crisis together without
impacting thousands of employees.

School Choice Update

Creating standards and criteria that apply to all schools for setting targets, evaluating school quality and
monitoring achievement— even charter schools. Embrace innovative program offerings for students and
families.

This week we held several meetings to support implementation of the applications approved through our first
round of Public School Choice. One meeting was with internal departments to identify and address operational
needs as we prepare to open our schools next school year. Our other meeting was with the approved
applicants to discuss the “next steps” I outlined in my recommendations. We will continue to provide support
over the following weeks and months to ensure a smooth school opening with quality instructional programs in
place.

As a reminder, below is the timeline for the two additional schools that will be opening in fall 2010 (Valley
Region Elementary School (VRES) #12 and South Region Elementary School (SRES) #7). Please note the
addition of the Public School Choice Parent Orientation Meetings.

Timeline
- VRES #12 Family Orientation Meetings:

Thursday 3/11 8:30 am at Langdon Elementary School

Tuesday 3/16 5 pm at Lassen Elementary School
- SRES #7 Family Orientation Meetings:

Thursday 3/11 5 pm at Drew Middle School

Friday 3/12 5 pm at Drew Middle School
- 3/29 – Full applications due
- Week of 4/5 – Community Meetings, Advisory Vote and Superintendent’s Panel Review
- 4/20 - I will submit my recommendations to the Board for its vote

Together we are LAUSD. We need to work together and learn from each other. This can only happen if we
have open and honest conversations. Through these dialogues we need to create a culture of autonomy and
accountability for local decision-making.

Thank you,

Ramon C. Cortines
Superintendent of Schools