by Joshua Cook
Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2005 at 9:16 PM
thisplane@gmail.org
Nearly one hundred students, parents and teachers at Crenshaw High School were joined by community leaders in a press conference held at the campus' main entrance this evening. The press conference aimed to respond to a series of emergency meetings the Los Angeles Unified School District School Board has called in the past week aimed at dealing with Crenshaw's recent loss and return on appeal of accreditation. At specific issue is the School District's mandate that Crenshaw sacrifice 16 teachers currently teaching full course loads at Crenshaw to other schools.
Nearly one hundred students, parents and teachers at Crenshaw High School were joined by community leaders in a press conference held at the campus' main entrance this evening. The press conference aimed to respond to a series of emergency meetings the Los Angeles Unified School District School Board has called in the past week aimed at dealing with Crenshaw's recent loss and return on appeal of accreditation. At specific issue is the School District's mandate that Crenshaw sacrifice 16 teachers currently teaching full course loads at Crenshaw to other schools.
The School Board notes that Crenshaw is underenrolled by at least 500 and possibly 700 students. This would mean liquiditating 16 positions specifically filled to meet the needs ot students who have not enrolled.
The Crenshaw Cougar Coaltion comprised of students, parents and teachers maintains that the underenrollment is the direct result of the school's loss of accreditation in August. Accreditation was restored on appeal, but the CCC asserts that parents of many students who would normally have enrolled at Crenshaw sought out alternative schools in which to enroll their children. As the School District has taken fuil responsibility for the loss of accreditation, the CCC believes that the School District owes it to the Crenshaw community to maintain stability in the school's instruction and keep all teachers currently teaching at Crenshaw.
The CCC points to LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer's promise to "turn heaven and Earth and change" Crenshaw. According to Crenshaw senior Crystal Evans, the first step is to maintain low class caps. Says Evans, "We need to lower the cap sizes. Some classes have 44 or more students in a class".
Local leaders insist that instruction not be disrupted. Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Souther California believes that as "Crenshaw is in its 5th year of program improvement status and has 200 seniors who have not yet passed the [California High School Exit Examination] Crenshaw needs a better student:teacher ratio". Lee also asserted that the issue is "really about injustice in inner city schools" and that "the loss of accreditation is a byproduct of a greater problem ... social and economic injustice".
Crenshaw's future and that of its teacher's remains uncertain. The UTLA and the CCC ask that the School District waive its hiring formula and keep all teachers currently teaching. Currently a meeting of the School District and the students, parents and teachers of Crenshaw is scheduled for Monday, October 3rd, 7pm at Crenshaw High School to discuss the restoration of accreditation and the future of Crenshaw's teachers.