LAUSD School Superintendent Deasy Reportedly Will Resign In February
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy plans to resign in February, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Deasy reportedly told school board members of his plan, according to a high-ranking member who told The Times based on the condition of anonymity.
Deasy told CBS2/KCAL9's Suraya Fadel via email that "nothing is official" and that he hasn't submitted any paperwork regarding a resignation.
He declined to comment about the Times report until Oct. 29 after he is evaluated by the Board of Education.
Deasy, a close ally of former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, revamped teacher evaluations to include the use of students' standardized-test scores.
He also altered the seniority system to limit the effect of job cuts at schools with large numbers of less-experienced instructors, who are generally the first to be laid off.
"The future of the district is not about one man," said Warren Fletcher, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, the union representing the district's teachers.
"The challenge going forward is to make sure students and schools get the resources they so badly need after five punishing years of recession. UTLA believes new leadership at LAUSD holds the potential to make that happen."
The teacher's union was often at odds with Deasy. This past July, it issued a report that said 85 percent of the members who answered a survey rated Deasy as below average or poor.
Deasy became superintendent in April 2011, succeeding retiring Superintendent Ramon Cortines. Deasy joined the district in August 2010 as Cortines' chief deputy.
Deasy received a one-year contract extension in October, extending his contract through June 2015, with an annual salary of $330,000, The Times reported.
Under the terms of Deasy's contract, the extension was automatic provided that he received a positive evaluation by the end of October. The school board and Deasy retained the right to terminate his employment at any time with 30 days' notice.
"Our students are benefiting from his innovative and visionary direction," then-school board President Monica Garcia said after the 6-0 vote in remarks reported by The Times.
Deasy previously served as deputy director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and Prince George's County Schools in Maryland.
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