LA School Board Meets Amid Calls For Smaller Class Sizes, MISIS Audit

NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles school board officials were set to meet Tuesday as teachers are calling for smaller class sizes and parents want a civil grand jury investigation and audit regarding the troubled roll-out of the district's computerized student-information system.

KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) met with reporters outside North Hollywood High School just one day before they return to the bargaining table with the Los Angeles Unified school district (LAUSD).

UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said the most fundamental thing teachers want to communicate is "that our students are human beings that deserve personalized attention."

Class sizes are having an impact on the quality of education at North Hollywood High, according to ninth-grader John Huddleston, who said his physical education class alone has over 50 students.

"It takes the teacher so long to take attendance that it truly does cut into our class curriculum time," said Huddleston.

In addition to the employment contract for interim Superintendent Ramon Cortines, the Board of Education is also expected to discuss a report on the troubled My Integrated Student Information System, otherwise known as MISIS.

But at least one group of parent and community activists say it's time for a civil grand jury investigation and audit regarding MiSiS as well as the district's ambitious $1 billion effort to provide all of its students and staff with iPads or laptops.

In his resignation as LAUSD Superintendent last week, John Deasy defended his role in implementing the Common Core Technology Project - which included the controversial iPad rollout at schools district-wide - and said he's confident a pending review "will determine that there were no missteps on my part in the process whatsoever."