CORTINES TO CLOSE 3 LAUSD OFFICES, REASSIGN STAFFERS REORGANIZATION TO BEGIN WITH CONSOLIDATION.

Byline: David R. Baker Staff Writer

Starting to keep his promise to streamline Los Angeles Unified's bloated bureaucracy, interim Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said Tuesday that he would close three administrative offices and reassign up to eight employees.

Cortines also said that the shake-up, announced during his first full day in charge, is the start of a sweeping reorganization of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves about 711,000 students.

``It's about working smarter. It's getting more money to the schools,'' Cortines said Tuesday.

Among the first closures will be the office of operations and support services, led by Deputy Superintendent Francis K. Nakano until his retirement late last year. Cortines declined to identify the other two offices that would be eliminated, saying not all staff members had been notified.

A total of eight employees would be affected by the closures, although one might retire, Cortines said. He added that none of the changes would require layoffs.

The other employees will fill existing vacancies elsewhere in Los Angeles Unified. In one case, a former principal working in Nakano's office, J. Irene Smerigan, will become the new principal at Pacoima School, starting next Monday.

``No positions were made for these people,'' said Cortines, who imposed a hiring freeze on the administration when he took over from Superintendent Ruben Zacarias, who retired Saturday.

Cortines wants to consolidate offices that do similar work and move many administrators from the downtown headquarters into the field. Those changes are also a key part of Cortines' proposal to split Los Angeles Unified into 11 semi-independent miniature districts.

The changes drew praise from teachers union leader Day Higuchi, who has often called for a slimmer bureaucracy at the 67,000-employee district.

``I think the concept is good,'' said Higuchi, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. ``So far, what we see makes sense. He's frozen administrative, nonschool positions. I think that needed to be done.''

School board member David Tokofsky said the downsizing was an encouraging start.

``The fewer people there are farther away from kids, the better the district will be,'' he said.

Tokofsky added, however, that reassigning eight people was a relatively easy move.

``The key thing is, when I see streamlining in the number of superintendents of instruction, then I'll put on my dancing shoes,'' he said.

Cortines also notified employees at the district television station, KLCS (Channel 58), that he was replacing General Manager Tony Burke. Burke was placed on a month-to-month contract in December following complaints that he sexually harassed an employee and allowed a company to use station equipment for profit.

Burke could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Since the school board voted last fall to buy out former Superintendent Ruben Zacarias' contract and bring in Cortines, rumors have circulated throughout the district that the changing of the guard this month would bring a serious management shake-up.

Many top district officials already have left, including former chief administrative officer David Koch and former legal counsel Richard Mason. And Cortines, who sees the reorganization of the LAUSD as the key goal of his six-month tenure, has launched an intensive review of the district's many offices and functions.

Before dawn Tuesday, he was already meeting in his office with officials working on the reorganization effort, reviewing plans to interview members of various offices. Each will be asked to present a two-page description of the office's purpose, funding and contribution to student achievement.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1) Ramon Cortines contemplates the course of the LAUSD.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(2) J. Irene Smerigan talks with Ramon Cortines about her new role as principal of Pacoima Elementary School.