Blackboard Bungle?
Despite substantial budget problems, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is in the midst of what may be the largest public works project in U.S. history: a $20.1 billion expansion project to build new schools across the city. Should the District be spending all that money during this recession, especially when it’s threatening to lay off thousands of teachers? And will there even be enough students to fill all the new classrooms? Thousands of people throughout the L.A. area have even lost their homes to make way for new schools they think might not be needed—people like the Villanueva family who show us the site of their former home. Correspondent Vince Gonzales talks to LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines and other School District employees to find out more about the New School Construction Program.