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First Day for Ramon Cortines' Return as LAUSD Superintendent

"We're gonna start running": Cortines on LAUSD problems

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines began his first day on the job early Monday after being appointed for the third time as head of the school district.

Cortines reiterated he is not holding an interim position and that the board approved him as superintendent. 

"I've never been an interim," he said. 

Among his top concerns is what Cortines describes as a "sort of meltdown" of the information system designed to track student progress.

"I don’t think anybody knows the magnitude, neither do I, of the information systems sort of meltdown," Cortines said. "I’m very concerned that it’s not just one or two, three schools, it’s all across the district and I need to find out the extent of the problem so we can deal with the issues."

Cortines took over the district after John Deasy resigned last week following a three-and-a-half-year tenure. Deasy will remain with the district on a "special assignment" until the end of the year.

Monday's tasks included meetings with local superintendents and dealing with personnel issues, Cortines said. He will also meet with the head of the teacher’s union, a group he feels must be a part of the solution to LAUSD's problems. He also said the majority of teachers get a bad rap.

Cortines led the school district twice already. He retired amid sexual harassment allegations against an employee, but a lawsuit was dismissed last year.

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