Admiral-turned-school boss gets boot in L.A.

[unhappycamper]

Admiral-turned-school boss gets boot in L.A.
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 9, 2008 21:02:13 EST

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles school board voted Tuesday to buy out the final two years of its contract with the embattled district superintendent.

David L. Brewer III, who came under fire by critics who called him an ineffective figurehead, will receive a severance package estimated to be worth about $500,000. He said he would serve until the end of the year.

“No matter what happens next, I will always root for the children, teachers, and staff of LAUSD,” he said in a statement.

The former Navy admiral had no experience as an educator before joining the nation’s second-largest school district two years ago. He initially refused to step down and recently hinted that racism was behind the rising criticism of his leadership. Brewer is black.

At a press conference on Monday, Brewer did not offer specifics on his allegations but said discrimination during his Navy career gave him the experience to recognize it.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_brewer_buyout_120908/%2e

[SheilaT]

1. Maybe the essential

problem was that he had not background in education or school administration.

A school system is rather unlike the Navy.

[rakeeb]

2. and the State Dept is rather unlike the Army....

yet Colin Powell did pretty well as Secretary of State with no background in the State Dept.
Managing a large, disperse organization in the military is rather like running a large, disperse organization in the civilian world.
In the case of the admiral though....taking over LA Unified is rather like taking over the Oakland Raiders.

[SheilaT]

3. I would argue that the State Department

has more in common with the Army than does the Navy with a school district. However, we can simply disagree about this without rancor.

[rakeeb]

4. No rancor intended, but the only thing the Army and State Dept

have in common is that they are "federal" employees.

The single most difficult difference for an admiral to have to deal with when running a school district is that firing the incompetent in a school district is almost impossible compared to the military.

[SheilaT]

5. Yes. The culture of the two institutions

(Navy and a large school district) must be incredibly dissimilar. I've never been in the service, and have never worked in a school district, but I can try to guess.