Marshall Tuck

Marshall Tuck

The onetime principal executive of the nonprofit that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa created to run culling schools within Los Angeles Unified is challenging Tom Torlakson's run for a 2d term as country superintendent of public teaching next year.

Marshall Tuck, xl, was also president of Greenish Dot Public Schools when information technology grew from one Los Angeles charter school to 10, before becoming CEO of Partnership for LA Schools five years ago. It'south charged with turning around 17 high-poverty, low-performing district schools. He left that position before this year.

In an interview, Tuck cited policy differences with Torlakson. Tuck said he would take pushed for a compromise on the employ of test scores to evaluate teachers so that California could have obtained a federal waiver from the No Child Left Behind constabulary. Instead, eight districts had to do somersaults to get the waiver that all districts deserve, he said. And, as CEO of Partnership for LA Schools, he opposed  seniority laws, which Torlakson defended, that led to layoffs of a big percent of young teachers at Partnership schools.

Merely Constrict, who filed campaign papers on Wednesday, said his campaign would stress the need to transform the California Department of Education from a hierarchy driven past regulations to an agency that helps superintendents and schools past spreading best education practices and granting flexibility regarding rules.

"The best job the state can do is to minimize regulations and compliance and give more than authority to schools and districts," he said. "Tom and the section are non making that an urgent priority, so that all kids tin get a good education."

The race could turn into an expensive, surrogate boxing between the California Teachers Clan, which, as Torlakson's biggest ally, spent most $4 million to help elect him in 2010, and the wealthy individuals who spent near that much this year pushing reform candidates in Los Angeles Unified. Tuck said he would seek the support of philanthropist Eli Wide and others behind Los Angeles' Coalition for School Reform. But he said he would reach out to a wider constituency, including teachers and the CTA. Teachers at Green Dot are unionized, as are teachers at the 17 Partnership schools, which work under a standard contract of United Teachers Los Angeles. The difference is that Partnership schools have flexibility from Los Angeles Unified operations.

Torlakson, who'due south served in elective function for four decades, "has been office of the political system for also long a time to see the need for cardinal alter," Tuck said. The chief for the superintendent'due south race is in June.

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