LA Teachers Union Goes After Reformist Superintendent

Fighting accountability every step of the way

LAUSD's teachers union issued an overwhelming vote of no-confidence Thursday in the leadership of Superintendent John Deasy as he finishes his second year, while a rival survey released by civil rights groups showed strong support for his reform strategies and called for an even more aggressive approach to improving student achievement.

In the poll by United Teachers Los Angeles, 16,040 union members expressed displeasure with Deasy, while only 1,647 said they had confidence in the direction of LAUSD since he took the helm two years ago. UTLA President Warren Fletcher said the results of the no-confidence vote would be shared with the school board, whose seven members supervise the schools chief. The union has about 33,000 members, but only about half offered their opinions in the poll.

"The school board needs to be presented with this data. If there are concerns that arise about his performance, they have to be addressed," Fletcher said. "A superintendent is always a reflection of the school board. They need to look into their vision of the district and see if that's where they want the district to go."