Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:
After several lessons investigating public space and student perceptions of graffiti, it’s time for students to start delving into the meat of this unit’s central text.
After reviewing the main vocabulary for this unit: marginalization, agency, hegemony and voice, I handed out the class novel: Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein." As students flipped skeptically through the text, one asked: “What does Frankenstein have to do with graffiti?” Though the initial prelude of letters by Robert Walton that opens the novel do not make the answer obvious, I’m encouraging my students (and you, fellow readers) to keep this question in mind; it will be the beginning of a series of ongoing discussions around the text.
"Style Wars"
While part of our daily class routine will involve reading and discussing the novel, our class is also screening the seminal graffiti documentary "Style Wars." Released in 1983, "Style Wars" looks at the rise of graffiti and hip-hop culture in New York. The film -- a colorful melange of music, aerosol and public policy –- helps root student understanding of graffiti within a historical lens. With the classroom lights only partially dimmed, students are provided a set of discussion questions and are expected to take rigorous notes throughout the lesson.
Coming up:
While students will be reading "Frankenstein" for the next few weeks, we will also screen portions of other films, look at blog entries and confront student stereotypes. In the meantime, I encourage you to reacquaint yourself with both Tony Silver’s "Style Wars" and Mary Shelley’s seminal text.
Ramon C. Cortines, the new No. 2 at the Los Angeles Unified School District, dropped by The Times yesterday for an interesting, and revealing, talk with the Editorial Board. Cortines sounded very  much like the guy in charge at 333 S. Beaudry, the district's headquarters. He described his job as handling "the day-to-day operations of the school district, in all areas." Supt. David Brewer? He's the "voice and face of the school district," Cortines said. And what does that mean? He said Brewer's job is to "interface" with the Legislature, governor, federal government and the community. (Doesn't the district pay lobbyists to do that?)
Cortines said he's taken a look at the $480-million in budget cuts that Brewer has prepared in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's state budget cuts--and found an additional $15 million or so to cut. And he seemed to foreshadow a battle with the teachers union, among others, when he said: "I’ve tackled some of the sacred cows in my recommendations, such as the issues of contracts, how much money we could receive from that. Such as the issue of health benefits, and how much money we could receive by capping that. And increasing the co-pay."
Cortines was at times unsparing of LAUSD's failures, saying that the district is organized for the benefit of the adults who work there, not the children they are hired to serve. He said the school board passes too many resolutions that "aren't worth the paper [they're] printed on." And he said the district had "abdicated our responsibility" for Locke High School, which is about to be turned over to Green Dot Public Schools, the big charter operator. Students didn't get a pass, though: He said the district needs to enforce "a code of behavior" based on the idea that they don't just have rights -- they also have responsibilities.
While he talked a lot about budget cuts, Cortines said he wants to put more resources into campus security, and also wants to launch an International Baccalaureate program in some schools in 2009.
In one interesting moment, Cortines, 75, appeared to choke up when he was asked about his decision to leave the district after serving as interim superintendent for six months in 2000, before Roy Romer came on board. He hadn't sought the permanent appointment. "I made a mistake," he said, then paused to regain composure.
You can read excerpts from the interview at the Times' Opinion section site here. And see what Steve Lopez has to say about Cortines and Brewer here.
--Mitchell Landsberg
File photo by Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times
With the Los Angeles Unified School District facing up to $484 million in education cuts because of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget, board members are willing to resort to extreme measures to protest the shortfall.
At Tuesday's board meeting, Yolie Flores Aguilar jokingly -- we think -- floated the idea of hunger strikes and freeway demonstrations. But she also asked Megan Reilly, the district's chief financial officer, what would happen if L.A. Unified, along with other districts in the state, just didn't pass a budget as a sign of their displeasure.
After a moment of silence, Reilly said: "I wouldn't advocate that as your CFO."
The governor's revised budget is to be released this afternoon. Depending on the numbers, you could see L.A. Unified board members holding their next meeting on the 110 Freeway.
-- Jason Song
An old school bill, consulting questions and other education issues:
LAUSD mulls 5th bond measure (Los Angeles Daily News)
Defunct school owes Pasadena Unified School District $15,000 (Pasadena Star-News)
Millions spent on LAUSD consulting deals (Los Angeles Daily News)
Contracting questions (Daily Breeze)
Erin Shachory, the mother of students at Riverside Drive Elementary School in Sherman Oaks, writes:
At a recent PTA meeting, we were lucky to have as a guest speaker Tamar Galatzan, an L.A. Unified board member and mother of a kindergartner at Riverside.
I have to admit that I’m no activist. I am just a mom, and not a very political one at that, but the $460-million budget shortfall that’s expected for LAUSD next year makes my blood boil. Going into the meeting, I had half expected Ms. Galatzan to give us some good news or at least tell us what we can do to make a difference. And, to a small degree, that happened. But the “bad news” was abundant, and I have a feeling it was only the tip of the iceberg.
The “buzz” of the evening came when Ms. Galatzan told us that one of the line items that the school board would vote on involves $6 million for laundering gym towels. You read that right. My kids’ school would have no P.E. if our parents didn’t pay for it, but somewhere in the district, students not only have P.E. but also fresh towels for their post-workout showers.
Is something wrong here? When I was growing up, you’d bring a towel to school, take it home to wash it, and bring it back. Yet, instead of spending money on computers, copiers, physical education, music, etc., our school board considers this a reasonable expense. And don’t even get me started on the $90,000 for the curator of an art exhibit at the school board headquarters on Beaudry.
Our principal, Michelle Diamond, said that she’d had an operating budget of close to $1 million when she’d been at a Title 1 school. At Riverside, she has an operating budget of $48,000 for more than 600 students. That's $76 per student a year, about $8 a month, $2 a week … or 40 cents a day! And now, with the budget cuts in a holding pattern in Sacramento, Ms. Galatzan predicts that all LAUSD principals will be basing their budgets on an imaginary number until the state determines the budget.
Ms. Galatzan is not a doomsayer, however. Far from it. She was inspiring and I, like many of the parents, local principals and teachers in attendance, came away feeling as though we had elected the right person for the job -– one who can make a difference on our behalf. She encouraged us to hold our school board members and state legislators accountable, to make them prioritize their spending so that it is in line with our expectations (e.g., PE should be mandatory; gym towels … not so much). One idea I really liked was getting LAUSD to change to a per-pupil spending model, to even out the Title 1 funds. And there is an email address where people can report instances of wasted money.
So the battle continues. We have yet another school fundraiser, a fabulous gala to celebrate Riverside’s 70th birthday, and I have to stop this rant to finish making bid paddles for our live auction. I hope we sell the previously owned Mercedes so that we can renew our PE program next year.
Herbie Hancock, legendary jazz pianist and 11-time Grammy winner, will join students at a free concert this afternoon at 2 at Washington Preparatory High School, for the culminating event of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz program.
The concert will showcase the work of young artists who took part in “Bebop to Hip-Hop,” a collaboration between the L.A. Unified School District and the Monk Institute.
For the last year, 25 Washington Prep students studied daily with professional jazz and hip-hip artists. The class explored both forms of music, along with the influence of jazz on hip-hop.
The students today are performing their own compositions, combining both musical genres. Hancock, the institute's chairman, will perform alongside the students. The concert will also feature actor Bill Cobbs and renowned hip-hop performer DJ Spark.
Read more Herbie Hancock to join high school students in concert »
People interested in the fate of Garfield High School’s arson-damaged auditorium are invited to a meeting Thursday for a progress report and question-and-answer session with restoration team members.
 The historic auditorium, built in 1925, suffered $30 million in damage on May 20, 2007, during a three-alarm blaze that burned and charred the arched proscenium, rare handcrafted wooden seating and the paneled ceiling festooned with decorative plaster and valuable Depression-era chandeliers.
The gutted auditorium at Garfield.
At right, a wall of fire-damaged pictures of famous alumni. In the lower left corner is a portait of Cesar Rosas of the band Los Lobos -- which raised money to restore the auditorium.
A 17-year-old boy who was a freshman at the school was sentenced in February to six months in juvenile camp and ordered to pay partial restitution after being convicted of setting the fire.
Outside of East L.A., Garfield High is perhaps most famous for the exploits of former math teacher Jaime Escalante and his group of award-winning students chronicled in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver." The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the 4th Street Elementary School auditorium, 420 S. Amalia Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, call Noel Campos at (213) 893-6829.
-- Carla Rivera
-- Top photo by Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times
Lower photo by Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times
Long-distance -- very long-distance -- calling: Students at Valley Christian Elementary School in Bellflower hooked up today with the International Space Station crew.
You can watch NASA's video of the conversation with astronaut Garrett Reisman, one of many interactive events between the crew and schools, a NASA spokesman said.
Astronaut Reisman floats through the International Space Station to demonstrate the lack of gravity in space.
Ota Lutz, NASA Explorer schools coordinator with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses the effects of space on body weight with Valley Christian students .
Students from Valley Christian recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the NASA in-flight educational downlink today.
-- Mary MacVean
Photos courtesy of the city of Bellflower
When Sarah Burningham was 16, she came home after curfew -– again. When she went to talk to her parents, she noticed a book by their bed about raising ethical teenagers. A light went on: "Wait! You have a book? I don’t have a book."
An idea was born, and it led to her book, "How to Raise Your Parents: A Teen Girl’s Survival Guide" (Chronicle Books).
 Through questionnaires and interviews with thousands of teenagers, Burningham, now 28, came up with a funny and practical guide for negotiating the minefield of parent-teen life. Among the issues she tackles are tattoos, dating and driving -– all with an effort to explain why parents behave the way they do.
No surprise that technological advances are a major change for this generation of teenagers.
"It’s so important that teenagers take responsibility and educate their parents," Burningham said in an interview Friday. And it’s important that parents get to know MySpace, for example, before they say no to a teen’s request for a profile.
Burningham also said she believes that teenagers today are under more pressure to succeed and achieve than those who came before them. "You have to build your resume before you graduate from high school."
"We’re expecting these teenagers to be adults, and we haven’t given them life experience. We haven’t even given them the chance to be teenagers," she said.
There are less serious moments too. Among the 10 "Favorite Parent-Friendly Albums That Are Still Cool Enough for You," she includes "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix and anything by U2.
-- Mary MacVean
-- Illustration courtesy Chronicle Books
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