The New York Times reported yesterday that, on Tuesday night, the school board of the Los Angeles Unified School District ?unanimously approved a plan . . . to allow the district to seek corporate sponsorships as a way to get money to the schools.? The district's finances are dwindling, it has had to lay off thousands of employees, and Governor-elect Jerry Brown has made it plain that schools across the state should brace for more?tough times?when he releases a new budget next month. LAUSD estimates that corporate sponsorships could generate some $18 million, and in the current fiscal atmosphere, that's a big deal. ?As they discussed the proposal at Tuesday night's meeting,? according to the Times, ?several board members expressed distaste with the idea of opening up schools to business, but concluded that there was no other way.?
?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow