BOARD, PARENTS, ROMER SAY MAYOR'S DEAL FULL OF HOLES.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer

Blindsided by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's announcement of proposed school-reform legislation, angry LAUSD board members, the superintendent and parents vowed to fight it and said too many questions are unanswered.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Roy Romer said an outline of the proposed legislation makes it unclear whether his successor would report to the L.A. mayor, the school board or a council of mayors.

``Who's going to be the person in control?'' asked Romer, who plans to leave his post in the fall.

Board member Jon Lauritzen echoed Romer's concern: ``No one can serve two masters,'' he said.

School board members vowed to fight the legislation and seek a productive partnership with the mayor, union members, teachers and parents.

``I wouldn't have expected anything less from a mayor who believes he's the education guru, the mayor whose education was saved when he came to a public school, a mayor who sends his kids to private schools,'' said Julie Korenstein, who has served on the school board for 20 years.

``Mr. Mayor, what are your grandiose plans for curing the ills you profess? Are you going to play with the lives of 727,000 students so you can become the next governor?

``I will not go down without a massive fight.''

Even though the mayor fell short of his goal of full control of the LAUSD, a group of parents said they would fight to block the scaled-down version being proposed.

``What concerns us is that none of the parents were ever talked to,'' said Scott Folsom, president of the 10th District Parent, Teacher, Student Association. ``... All we are asking for is a serious discussion between the mayor, the school district and parents to discuss what is in the best interests of the children of the district.''

Dan Basalone of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles said all bargaining units other than United Teachers Los Angeles were shut out of the negotiating process. ``It's appalling these last-minute decisions would be made behind closed doors with a select group of constituents.''

But UTLA President A.J. Duffy said that if he had refused the mayor's offer, he would have risked losing a chance to prevent a full mayoral takeover.

``We were invited to the table by the mayor, and it was up to the mayor to ask whoever else he felt comfortable with to the table,'' Duffy said.

Board members also questioned whether the union's rank and file supported the deal, although Duffy said it is in line with a policy approved by the union's house of representatives -- to oppose mayoral takeover in favor of mayoral partnership.

In fact, Duffy said he believes the legislation will succeed because it meets the needs of legislators, including Republicans.

``What we're talking about here is an arrangement that keeps intact most of the authority of the school board -- an arrangement that killed mayoral control and also will lead to what UTLA has always believed in from July 1, when I took office, which is more local control over decision-making, over curriculum and over professional development,'' Duffy said.

``I can only urge the Board of Education to take a couple of days, let the dust settle, read the text, have some conversations with us, and they will understand that the partnership model that we have created that will come into being through legislation is a good model, a positive model.''

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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