Who is the mystery candidate for CEO of The Accelerated School (TAS) in Los Angeles?

See all blog posts re Accelerated School.

Update: Joaquin Hernandez is the new CEO of TAS.

UPDATE: Who will be the new executive director of The Accelerated School?

On July 28, 2010 the TAS board interviewed an anonymous "recommended CEO candidate." Who is the mystery candidate? If TAS continues to look to Chula Vista Elementary School District for its CEOs, the candidate might be Lowell Billings or Dennis Doyle. Doyle left CVESD only to be pushed out of National School District.

The new CEO at TAS will replace Patrick Judd, who was hired at TAS by his own employee, TAS board member and CVESD superintendent Lowell Billings. Patrick Judd was a board member at Chula Vista Elementary School District until 2008.

Lowell Billings doesn't seem to believe in openness in superintendent searches, does he?

But the San Diego Union Tribune is currently using quotes from him in a series about a different instance of an employee in one district hiring his boss in another district. The trouble is, the SDUT Watchdog blog has so far failed to mention that Lowell Billings is far more of an expert in the subject than he has bothered to mention.

ORIGINAL POST:

The Accelerated School (TAS) in Los Angeles has parted ways with executive director Patrick Judd, and now has an interim CEO named Jonathan Williams.

The California Teachers blog is predicting that Lowell Billings will replace Patrick Judd at The Accelerated School in Los Angeles.

See all Patrick Judd posts.
See all Lowell Billings posts.

Billings forgets to acknowledge the important of lawyers in his career; Larry Cunningham makes clear the huge effect lawyers had on Billings

I watched Lowell Billings' testimony in the Danielle Cozaihr case. He made it clear that he wasn't in the habit of observing classrooms at that time. But now the Chula Vista Elementary School District superintendent is retiring, and board member Larry Cunningham says:

“Every week, [Billings] visits four to five different schools and spends several hours there in the classrooms with principals to see what’s going on.”

So why didn't Billings give credit to the large part that lawyers have played in his journey? He only mentions "the children, parents, larger community, teachers and administrators."


Billings to retire as Chula Vista Elementary superintendent
By Janine Zúñiga
San DiegoUNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 1, 2010

Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent Lowell Billings has announced he will retire in December from the position he has held for eight years.

Billings, 59, is leaving after 36 years in South County public education with mixed emotions.

“The important part of this journey has been the people: the children, parents, larger community, teachers and administrators,” Billings said. “Although I’m not moving out of the area, there’s the day-to-day contact that will be dearly missed.”...

Chula Vista trustee Larry Cunningham said he was on the school board when it hired Billings away from South Bay Union Elementary School District. He said one of Billings’ greatest assets is the time he spends in the classroom.

“Every week, he visits four to five different schools and spends several hours there in the classrooms with principals to see what’s going on,” Cunningham said. “His heart is really in education and the bottom line is children.”...

CVESD Superintendent Lowell Billings to retire; Billings' pal Joyce Abrams reappointed to Teacher Credentialing Commission

Photo (left to right): Russell Coronado(new), Superintendent Lowell Billings, Larry Cunningham, Pamela Smith, David Bejarano (new), Doug Luffborough (new)



Chula Vista Elementary School District superintendent Lowell Billings will retire in December of this year. Here is his letter announcing his retirement.

It remains to be seen whether there will be any real changes at the district, or if this is merely a matter of personalities. Billings and the long time board members developed a lot of personal loyalty to each other during years when the district was involved in some expensive wrongdoing. But will the new board look for new lawyers and start obeying the law and the contract? That is what reformers hope for, of course, but political office changes people. Officials often start with the best of intentions, but end up protecting their incumbency instead of their principles.

Billings notes that Peter Barron Stark will help in the search for a replacement.

Peter Barron Stark knows CVESD pretty well. He actually was called in to help when teachers at Castle Park Elementary started going out of control in the mid 1990's (before I myself became a teacher at the school).

Mr. Stark failed to bring about any meaningful understanding or system for communication at the school. Within a few years, the district was paying $100,000s in legal bills to defend teachers who decided to destroy the school rather than give up the power their clique had achieved. The clique pretty much wagged the dog. Assistant superintendents Richard Werlin and Lowell Billings agreed to the demands of these teachers even when they demanded that the district violate the contract and the law. Then Billings tried to establish control over the school in 2004, but it was too late. The Castle Park Five got the local media to portray Billings as a power-hungry egomaniac.

Billings will be remembered for his mishandling of the Ana Stover case and the Danielle Cozaihr case, as well as my case, the Maura Larkins case. See web page.

My sympathies to Pamela Smith and Larry Cunningham, board members who worked so closely with Mr. Billings for so long.



RELATED STORY

A teacher who sat on the Chula Vista Educators' board of directors as the teachers union helped the district cover up wrongdoing has been appointed to a new term on the California

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010

Elisa Betancourt asks Chula Vista Elementary parents to speak out regarding teacher losses

Elisa Betancourt writes:

Budget Cuts Hurt Kids and Every Teacher is an Individual of Great Worth

The Superintendent has failed to point out some very important facts:

The $21,004,830 reserve from the general fund is $1,962,284 more than the adopted budget of September 15th.

The approximately 100 teachers that would lose their jobs because of an increase of 4 students to each K-3 class, have already been notified that their contracts end this year.

The Superintendent has not taken into account the federal education jobs packages or the other proposed legislation that would assist in hiring these teachers back and restoring class sizes.

The Superintendent can show he respects teachers by:

Not using this crisis to pit teacher against teacher, threatening job losses and accusing the Union of playing favorites.

Encouraging parents to contact legislators, both state and federal, to try and push through helpful legislation to protect funding and save jobs.

Not asking teachers, to shoulder the burden of a broken system of funding for public education.

Looking at all options, just as other school districts all across the state are doing.

Please call School Board Members and the Superintendent
You can make the difference for our students!

Russell Y. Coronado, President
619.818.5688
russell.cvesd@gmail.com

Larry Cunningham, Vice President
619.475.5639
lecunningham@gmail.com

Douglas E. Luffborough III
619.750.4182
dougluff@gmail.com

David Bejarano
619.421.0201
bejaranos@cox.net

Pamela B. Smith
619.479.1507

Lowell J. Billings Ed.D, Superintendent
lowell.billings@cvesd.org
619.425.9600 ext. 1300

It has been my personal experience that once this man makes up his mind, it's done - and yet, I have seen parents form and unite and speak as one big voice against him... the results were astonishing.

He was actually worried that we the parents might get our say in the end - I know we can do this, but we must each make the call and send the email. It really will make a difference.
March 17, 2010 3:45 PM