New Superintendent Says Fixing LAUSD's Class Scheduling System Will Take Time, Money
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Fixing the Los Angeles Unified School District's troubled computerized student information system is going to take time and it will cost money, Superintendent Ramon Cortines told the district's board Tuesday.
But Cortines said he will deliver weekly reports to the board on progress being made toward fixing problems with the My Integrated Student Information System, known as MiSiS.
"There are going to be issues for the rest of the year, and it is going to be bumpy," Cortines said.
The system has been problematic since the start of the school year, leaving some students unable to attend classes they need to graduate, while others are repeating classes. Some parents have also complained that their children who are nearing graduation are unable to obtain school transcripts needed for college applications.
Cortines, who has been on the job since Monday morning after the resignation of Superintendent John Deasy, said he plans to develop a detailed plan on how the system can be repaired, along with estimates of what it will cost.
"It is clear that we're going to need to invest more resources, development, training and support to make this work for our schools," he said.
Cortines said the board will receive weekly reports on the MiSiS situation, and the first one next week will include a discussion of efforts to ensure students can obtain transcripts in time to file college applications.
Earlier Tuesday, a group of parents called for a civil grand jury investigation into the district's handling of the MiSiS situation.
"I have a daughter who's in high school right now and because of the MiSiS issue she cannot get into the biology class in order, number one, to graduate, and two, to get into CSUs or UCs," Khallid Al-Alim told the board. "So right now, my daughter's in a limbo stage with an English class she's already passed. ... This is a waste of time."
Al-Alim also called on the district to be open with the public as they work on the problems.
"These children need relief," he said. "These students out here need their transcripts, they need their grades. College applications are out there right now just in limbo. This is disastrous. Somebody really needs to pay attention to this."
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