LAUSD Candidate John Aaron Brasfield on PROP-39 Co-Locations

“Transparency is vital with the school system and parents need to be informed of all Local Educational Agencies.”

– BD1 Candidate John Aaron Brasfield

John Aaron Brasfield is running for the seat currently occupied by the retiring George McKenna in LAUSD’s Board District 1. As part of my ongoing Candidate Forum series, Brasfield was asked five questions about PROP-39 co-locations. The article LAUSD Candidate Forum: PROP-39 Co-Locations includes an introduction to this subject along with answers from other candidates.

It should be noted that these responses were received after the Board meeting on September 26, 2023, where the resolution proposed by Goldberg and Rivas was passed by the LAUSD School Board by a vote of four to two (Kelly Gonez did not record a vote). At this meeting, the Director of the Charter School Division, José Cole-Gutiérrez, revealed that, despite what has been told to public school parents for years, state law does not state that a room without a certificated teacher is considered empty. This means that it has been the District’s choice to force some students with special education needs into closets or stairwells to receive needed services.

The following are the candidate's responses, printed exactly how Brasfield provided them with the exception of some minor formatting edits:

• Question 1: Do you support the "Creating a Charter Schools Co-Location Policy to Mitigate Impacts Caused by Proposition 39" authored by Board President Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rocio Rivas? YES

I’ll support making a policy to hold charter affiliates accountable. Transparency is vital with the school system and parents need to be informed of all Local Educational Agencies.

• Question 2: Under The way that PROP-39 is currently implemented, rooms used to provide Special Education Services are considered to be "empty" and must be turned over to a charter school to satisfy its demand for space. As a Board member would you work to end this discriminatory practice? YES

I think charter schools have an opportunity to work with the current school system and increase accountability and opportunity for fairness. I want to eliminate all discriminatory practices. By introducing special charters for students with disabilities along with inclusion to increase diversity. In addition, having a strong history as a mainstream specialist in special education has provided me with the toolkit to help numerous socioeconomic groups of students.

• Question 3: The text of PROP-39 specifies that charter schools that base their space requests on inflated enrollment must pay an over-allocation fee. Currently, charter schools have a past-due balance of $3,708,006. As a Board Member would you revoke the charter of any school that refused to pay these fees when a bill is presented? NO

The district in the past two years just dispersed over 10 billion in funding. I would do a comprehensive investigation of the charter schools spending and check the current enrollment at each location. If charter schools have a past due balance I would make sure there is a service provided for the students if the charter meets the district standards. Services can include extra tutoring or a special activity for the student body. The District role is to make sure the charter is successful if we approve the charter from the beginning. The prorated charge for charter schools are calculated by the amount of space and students according to EC 47614. If we allowed more space then needed for enrollment numbers we did not do due diligence as a unit. In addition, we want every student to succeed so the space is for students first. Organizing the schedule becomes present for utilizing resources.

• Question 4: In April of last year $7,678,022 of over-allocation debt was suddenly wiped off of the balance sheet without any explanation to the public. As a Board Member would you demand an investigation to determine whether this write-off was legal and proper? YES

I would always want a report every year on each Charter School. It keeps everyone aware, in addition, ensures locations will keep their charter status active and aligned with the district’s policy. The renewal process takes multiple measures to ensure standards are met.

• Question 5: The North Valley Military Institute (NVMI) was co-located on the campus of Sun Valley High School / Valley Oaks Center For Enriched Studies (VOCES) when one of its administrators was accused of “abhorrent child sex abuse” against a student. It does not appear that parents of students on the public school campus were ever notified about these accusations. As a Board Member would you terminate the PROP-39 lease agreement for any charter school that put LAUSD students at a district campus in danger? Neutral

I would begin an investigation and have the charter on probation. I would have a special task force to monitor the activity of the charter. All concerns I would address in the investigation. Then I would ask the Charter, “how would they like to proceed?”. After they give me a definitive answer I will make my decision with the rest of the School Board Members.

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.