EDITORIAL : VOTE THEM OUT.

WE knew people were desperate to get out of the horribly mismanaged Los Angeles Unified School District, but who knew there were parents actually lying and cheating to get their children into it?

That's the case in quality schools such as El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.

More than 40 students have been kicked out this year for using phony addresses to win coveted spots at the award-winning school.

The western San Fernando Valley appears to be the hotbed of parental duplicity.

It's easy to see why. El Camino, home to last year's national Academic Decathlon championship team, consistently ranks far above district average on most tests. So does Granada Hills High School, which has about as many students with phony addresses each year as El Camino.

Good public schools exist within the district that has more than 600 campuses.

Unfortunately, it's not because of LAUSD's leadership, but despite it. The district is so vast, it can't dumb down every class at every school.

Teacher commitment is one reason parents are cheating to get their children into good public schools. Parents committed to education is another.

And students who enjoy learning because they're motivated is the third.

There are pockets of achievement in the Valley and throughout the city.

But that same level of achievement should be available districtwide, to all the nearly 700,000 students, regardless of ZIP code.

Board members love to blame the kids for the failure of schools, when more of the failure lies squarely at the feet of the district and its maladjusted, misinformed and myopic board.

Blaming students is the worst form of elitism. No parent wants his or her child to fail.

There are too many stories, too many instances when parents in lower-income areas are turned away, disrespected and not welcomed at the schoolhouse door.

Education is a partnership. It involves principals motivating teachers, who in turn motivate students, and teachers who listen and involve parents.

Success isn't a secret potion. It can be contagious. But it takes board members who are committed to it. And this current board isn't.

Now is a good time to remind voters that they need to hold board members accountable for their failures.

Incumbents Barbara Boudreaux, George Kiriyama and Jeff Horton, who represents part of the Valley, are an impediment to success.

If you live in their districts, do your duty and vote them out on April 13. Or fill out the absentee ballot application on the back of the voter's pamphlet before April 6 and vote from home for a reform candidate.

It's time Angelenos give failures the boot and children the help they deserve.