Retired Admiral David Brewer takes the reins of the massive Los Angeles public schools. Brewer says he's ready to build skyscrapers on the foundation left by his predecessor.
But Brewer faces some unique challenges as he tries to fix what's wrong -- and strengthen what's right -- with a troubled school district of more than 700,000 students.
In a ceremony welcoming the new superintendent, Brewer, who has no formal education experience, gave thanks for his predecesor's six years of service. During that time, elementary test scores rose and the district built more than 60 new schools.
But before the meeting was finished, Brewer got a taste of some of the district's more intractable problems: A busload of the city's teachers pulled up in front of district headquarters and dropped off a stack of complaints about overcrowded classrooms.
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