How can a publication like the Los Angeles Times, that was known for years as producing solid journalistic endeavors and contained on of the best sports pages anywhere in America, (Jim Murray, Alan Malamud (sp) and others), produce such a half-baked one-sided faux-expose? Why is the Times seemingly in bed with Superintendent Cortines, who only wants to assign blame to teachers for the district's utter failure to graduate children, (50%) pass solid numbers of literate children who can write and critically read, and be fiscally solvent ? Further, there is no mention of administrators who have embezzeled, lied, cheated, even some who committed lewd acts with children and been reassigned elsewhere; never ever bothered to monitor teachers' performances in the classroom, (the REAL reason that teachers are seldom fired for teaching incompetence), and the fact thatfor every administrator the district hires, 2-3 teachers could be relieving overcrowding in a classroom? Why has the Times zeroed in on such a process as exists in today's American workplace, where evidence must exist that proves the employee has failed to perform adequately in their assigned job? Where is the mention of the extreme waste, from the Superintendent's chauffeured limo to the $850,000,000 wasted on outside contractors and consultants, which were proven in recent audits to have been unnecessary? How about that the LAUSD built a school on a toxic dump site, and that they felt it necessary to move their long-time offices to a lush building downtown, also costing millions? Finally, they have 8 satellite districts which have little or no effect on teachers and students yet cost millions, as do the innumerable personnel pushing paper downtown. Teachers have worked without a cost-of-living raise (COLA) for two years now, yet the waste has continued unabated. Teachers in the district high schools have had 45-48 students per class for years now, many in trailer classrooms without heat or air-conditioning. Administrators are in lush offices and no one seems to oversee their activities. Principals may often attend civic club luncheons, take their spouses to lunch. Teachers have a 35- minute lunch hour, many choosing to oversee clubs that they do not receive any stipends for, some merely counseling students whose family lives are a train wreck from which they are attempting to recover and survive. Yes, it is a sad day when a financially unstable large urban newspaper slips under the covers with the most alluring of excuses; that somehow many teachers are simply incompetent or bad people, and the readers need to be made aware of these Public Enemy #1 types. Of course, they also link them to the Big Bad Union, who is apparently driving the get away car for these nefarious cons, the teachers. Something tells me the Enquirer might have come closer to the truth. Doesn't the Supt. wear Bruno Malgi shoes?