CA: Mayor set to appoint new schools aide to ease takeover bid (Villaraigosa taps Ramon Cortines)

In his bid for more power over public schools, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is set to appoint a veteran educator to a post designed to ease tensions between City Hall and public school officials opposed to the plan, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Ramon C. Cortines, who served six months as interim superintendent of the L.A. Unified school district in 2000, is scheduled to be named deputy mayor for education, youth and families Tuesday.

Cortines did not say whether he supports state legislation that would grant Villaraigosa say in district management a proposal that has drawn fire from the teachers union, the school board and the superintendent. Cortines said, however, that he would encourage dialogue between the two sides.

"We're poised to take the next step," Cortines told the Times. "Instead of taking it in a fractured way, I think that we need to come together. I think we all need to compromise a little."

Cortines who also has run school districts in New York, San Francisco, San Jose and Pasadena will serve as the mayor's top educational adviser and represent the mayor before the school district, universities, community colleges and other civic groups.

School Board President Marlene Canter applauded the appointment as a step toward improving fractious discourse.

"I have a lot of respect for the work Ramon Cortines has done," she said. "If his goal is to create a partnership, this will be very helpful."

The proposed legislation would allow the mayor to share management of the district with the superintendent and the elected school board. It also would grant the mayor power to hire and fire the superintendent.

One of the most outspoken opponents of Villaraigosa's takeover plan has been Superintendent Roy Romer, who is set to retire this fall.

Cortines, who had said he would fill Romer's seat if offered the job, told the Times that he had withdrawn his name from a list of candidates after he decided to work for Villaraigosa.

"I believe, as citizens, we have to step up to the plate when we are asked," he said. "This is not a job for someone who wants to put L.A. Unified on their resume."

Passing along a recent email:

City of Los Angeles
High School Math Proficiency Exam

Name:__________________________

Gang:__________________________

1. Johnny has an AK-47 with an 80-round clip. If he misses 6 out of 10 shots and shoots 13 times at each drive-by shooting, how many drive-by shootings can he attempt before he has to reload?

2. Jose has 2 ounces of cocaine and he sells an 8-ball to Jackson for $320 and 2 grams to Billy for $85 per gram. What is the street value of the balance of the cocaine if he doesn't cut it?

3. Rufus is pimping for three girls. If the price is $65 for each trick, how many tricks will each girl have to turn so Rufus can pay for his $800-per-day crack habit?

4. Jarone want to cut his 1/2 pound of heroin to make 20% more profit. How many ounces of cut will he need?

5. Willie gets $200 for stealing a BMW, $50 for a Chevy, and $100 for a 4X4. If he has stolen 2 BMWs, 3 4X4s, how many Chevies will he have to steal to make $800?

6. Raoul is in prison for 6 years for murder. He got $10,000 for the hit. If his common law wife is spending $100 per month, how much money will be left when he gets out of prison and how many years will he get for killing the bitch that spent his money?

7. If the average spray can covers 22 square feet and the average letter is 3 square feet, how many letters can a tagger spray with 3 cans of paint?

8. Hector knocked up 6 girls in his gang. There are 27 girls in the gang. What percentage of the girls in the gang has Hector knocked up?

9. Thelma can cook dinner for her 16 children for $7.50 per night. She gets $234 a month welfare for each child. If her $325 per month rent goes up 15%, how many more children should she have to keep up with her expenses?

10. Salvador was arrested for dealing crack and his bail was set at $25,000. If he pays a bail bondsman 12% and returns to Mexico, how much money will he lose by jumping bail?

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