Los Angeles superintendent quits Scholastic board

From The Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines has resigned from the board of Scholastic Inc. after increased scrutiny of his relationship with the school-district vendor that paid him compensation worth more than $150,000 last year. Scholastic provides the district's primary reading intervention program and has received more than $16 million over the last five years from contracts with the Los Angeles Unified School District.Editorial from The Los Angeles Times: The chief of the Los Angeles Unified School Districtshould not be in the employ of a major outside vendor for his schools. It's that simple. Supt. Ramon C. Cortines must relinquish his position with Scholastic Inc., and the school board should apply any pressure needed to make that happen.EARLIER...from The Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles School Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines received more than $150,000 last year for serving on the board of one of the nation's leading educational publishing companies, a firm with more than $16 million in contracts with the school district over the last five years. Scholastic Inc. provides the main reading intervention curriculum for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Cortines has disclosed his relationship with the company, and officials say he has avoided any decisions on Scholastic contracts. Cortines' role, however, has generated criticism among some former senior officials and current employees. They said the corporate tie creates an appearance of impropriety.