BOARD OK'S CONTRACTS FOR CONSULTANTS.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

The Los Angeles school board voted Tuesday to spend nearly $43 million on consultants to inspect new and modernized schools, despite protests from labor unions.

The board approved spending the money to hire 13 private firms during the next three years. Last year, the Los Angeles Unified School District paid 663 consultants for a total of $71 million out of voter-approved bonds, including $60-an-hour clerical workers.

Jim Delker, acting deputy chief facilities executive for the LAUSD, defended contracting for inspectors, saying they could be easily terminated once the work was done, which isn't the case with permanent civil service staff.

``It's a cost-efficient way to take care of the inspection requirements,'' he said. ``This is to help take care of short-term peaks and valleys.''

Teamsters Local 572, which represents the district's construction inspectors, has filed a grievance protesting the outsourcing of inspection work, contending LAUSD is violating the terms of its labor agreement. The district's Personnel Commission is also investigating the propriety of the consultant contracts.

Under district personnel policies, consultants are only to be used for short-term work, but some fear they will stay for the duration of the district's massive school construction program.

LAUSD is striving to build 120 new schools in the next few years. District officials say it's necessary to hire outside inspectors because its own inspection staff of 100 is not adequate to handle the workload.

Tom Leslie, who recently retired as the district's chief construction inspector, said for safety reasons, it's important for the district to have its own, independent inspection staff. He worried that contracted inspectors would be placed under the control of project managers, whose top priority is build schools quickly.

The inspection contracts are being approved at a time when Los Angeles Unified is bracing for $300 million to $600 million in funding cuts from the state. As part of his plan to balance the budget, Gov. Gray Davis has proposed reducing funding for early childhood education, which drew a crowd of protesters to the school board Tuesday.

Anticipating a severe budget crunch, Superintendent Roy Romer earlier instituted a spending freeze at schools but lifted it Friday in exchange for a commitment that schools set aside $40 per student. School board members reacted angrily to the move, saying Romer did not seek their approval before issuing the directive. The board had told Romer previously to protect classrooms from cuts.

Romer defended his action, saying it was his way of preparing schools for a difficult year ahead.

At the same meeting, the board approved spending $14.3 million to purchase a 16 1/2-acre site on Glenoaks Boulevard in the City of San Fernando. Currently, a swap meet operates on the site, providing the city with a half million in sales tax each year. San Fernando Council members Tuesday urged the district to work with them to ensure a world-class academy is built at the site.