In a new educational reform effort, the city of Los Angeles has put management of 18 newly-formed and 12 continually low-performing schools up for auction. The deadline for an initial application passed at 5pm today and potential 'managers' now have two months to submit in-depth proposals for the schools they hope to manage. The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, Mayor Villaraigosa's non-profit, already manages 10 schools and argues that its success there means it ought to have more. Teachers' unions have made a bid for every single school up for auction, hoping to build on existing progress made through creating small 'academies within schools,' and hoping to keep the schools from becoming charter schools.
See "Villaraigosa, teacher groups vie for four schools", Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, November 16, 2009