The Los Angeles board of education has authorized its lawyers to discuss terms of a possible departure agreement with Superintendent John Deasy.
The move was made in a specially called closed session last week, but it was not disclosed publicly. The board’s action stops short of signaling the end of the Deasy superintendency, but it’s a step in that direction.
Mr. Deasy, 53, became superintendent in April 2011, and his current contract runs through June 2016. He has become a polarizing figure in the Los Angeles Unified School District. His supporters credit his leadership for gains in test scores, graduation rates, and improved results for students learning English.
His detractors focus on such issues as problems with the rollout of a $1.3 billion effort to provide computers to every student, teacher, and campus administrator.