Dennis RomeroThe superintendent of the nation's second-largest school district is calling it quits.
See also: LAUSD Superintendent Fires Lemon Teachers.
The Los Angeles Times tonight is citing unnamed, “high-level district officials” in reporting that 52-year-old John Deasy will resign in February. The reform-minded L.A. Unified School District boss has been on the job for nearly three years.
It couldn't have been easy being Deasy:
He's been grappling with a debacle that has seen the district halt its rollout of a half-billion dollars' worth of iPads after some students figured out how to bypass web-surfing limits.
And horrific allegations of teacher sex abuse of students surfaced under his watch.
See also: Alleged 'Sex Game' Teacher Mark Berndt Went Free for Over a Year.
But perhaps his biggest challenge was trying to be a reformer in a district where a reluctant teachers union is quite influential.
See also: LAUSD School Board Promotes John Deasy to Superintendent.
Credit: John Deasy, left, via LAUSD's Facebook page.
Deasy was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's guy. But Villaraigosa left office in July, and the school board lost a few of the members friendly to Deasy. The superintendent clashed with board president Richard Vladovic.
Frankly we're surprised Deasy lasted as long as he did.
[Noted at 4:50 p.m. Friday]: While it does appear to us that Deasy is headed for the exit, the Los Angeles Times back-peddled on its initial report, saying that he “may leave in coming months.”
The supe himself told the paper he had not submitted his resignation and that more info would be forthcoming Tuesday.
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