The Los Angeles Times reports that more schools in Los Angeles may be subject to the competitive bidding process after state test scores were released this week.
Thirty-nine Los Angeles schools — a group larger than the entire Glendale school system — identified as “failing” under federal standards became eligible Tuesday for takeover under a recent Board of Education policy.
These schools bring the number of Los Angeles Unified School District campuses eligible for takeover to 252. Bidders from inside or outside the nation’s second-largest school system could submit proposals to run such schools. The bidding process also applies to 51 new schools set to open over the next four years.
Under the policy adopted last month, existing schools become eligible for takeover when they reach their third year in “Program Improvement.” A school receives this label after persistently failing a federal standard, called Adequate Yearly Progress, that measures whether a school has the required percentage of proficient students. This percentage is rising sharply every year, and, as a result, more schools are annually judged as failing.