CHARTER COMMISSION HEARS IDEAS FOR CHANGING LAUSD.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Addressing the appointed Charter Reform Commission on Wednesday night, local leaders discussed key questions regarding what role the city's charter should play in determining the future of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Among the issues addressed was whether the size of the Board of Education should be increased and whether its members should receive pay raises.

Victoria Castro, LAUSD board vice president, said accountability and responsibility must be instilled in school leaders.

And with long hours and modest school board pay - $24,000 a year - the district often loses qualified candidates to serve on the governing body, Castro said.

Regarding the size of the school board, Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, said his bill - AB281 - will allow the board to expand its membership beyond the current seven.

``It gives you the option to increase it to 50 if you so choose. I think we should increase the number of seats on the school board because I believe in greater local control,'' he said, noting that board members who represent fewer constituents can be better representatives.

``We need school boards to be more influential at the local level,'' Hertzberg said.

But not everyone at the meeting, held at the Department of Water and Power Building, agreed that the city should exert more power when it comes to school district affairs.

``L.A. is a big school district and I think they should be on their own,'' said Ralph Feeley of West Hollywood.

The 21-member city of Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission was appointed in November 1996 by City Council members, the city attorney and city controller. This commission has formed its recommendations and plans to present them to the City Council in fall 1998 in order to place them on the 1999 ballot.

The 15-member Los Angeles elected Charter Reform Commission was elected by voters from each council district last spring. It has a two-year time frame to present its recommendations on a ballot to voters.

Other issues raised by the appointed commission Wednesday include whether at-large school board seats should be created, whether members should be appointed and whether the redistricting authority for the Board of Education should be removed from the City Council.