DIRECTOR QUITS LAUSD'S SPECIAL-EDUCATION UNIT.

Byline: Terri Hardy Daily News Staff Writer

As parents and community members voiced concerns about plans to fix the failing special-education system in Los Angeles public schools Monday, the head of the division announced her resignation - saying the restructuring was not well planned.

Beverly Watkins, director of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Special Education Division, said in a letter that her authority was being diluted, employees were receiving conflicting directions and training for administrators was by trial and error.

``It behooves the district to ensure that those accountable for compliance are properly trained and equipped to carry out those responsibilities,'' Watkins wrote. ``In my judgment we are not doing so.''

Watkins could not be reached for further comment.

In a written statement, Superintendent Sid Thompson said Watkins made many contributions to the district and that the LAUSD ``would miss the dedication that she brought to one of the most important and complex divisions of the LAUSD.''

Bonny Garcia, an attorney who represents the LAUSD on special-education matters, said although Watkins was among the first to point out problems in her division, change was sometimes hard to accept.

``Bev Watkins started a process and now can't control it,'' Garcia said.

District officials now must scramble to replace Watkins, whose resignation is effective Feb. 21. She will be employed by one of the consultants overseeing the special-education overhaul.

Parents and community members have their own concerns about the first of a series of plans to rebuild the special-education system. Public comment Monday was on the first two of 30 plans.

The changes were promised nine months ago when the district settled a historic civil rights case that alleged discrimination against special-education students.

A consent decree named after student Chanda Smith, who was the plaintiff in the lawsuit, mandates a five-year program to rebuild the special-education system.

At Monday's hearing, some speakers complained that one plan, which articulates the district's mission to serve students with disabilities and calls for steps to eliminate hostile environments, did not go far enough.

``The plan needs to spell out consequences of discrimination,'' said Ben Adams, former chairman of the district's Special Education Commission. ``The district seems hesitant to handling the matters of accountability.''

The second implementation plan focuses on budget issues and ways for maximizing special-education funding provided to the district.

The plan indicates that the district is spending increasing sums to pay for sending children to pricey private schools at the expense of the LAUSD, and it details how the district is losing millions of dollars because it exceeds state limits by placing too many students either in private schools or in segregated classes within the LAUSD.

Parents objected to a proposal that would cut those special-education placements by 20 percent, saying the number was arbitrary and that their children's needs was the No. 1 priority.

Thompson will give his recommendations on the plans to the Board of Education by the end of this week.

District insiders said they think Thompson will ask the board to revise both plans - especially the lengthy mission statement proposal.

Garcia conceded that there were district concerns about both plans, but said they were ``good first drafts.''