EDITORIAL ANTONIO'S PROBLEM SCHOOL BOARD BEHAVES LIKE A BUNCH OF SPOILED BRATS.

WHEN Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa first envisioned taking over the Los Angeles Unified School District, he no doubt imagined being L.A's education czar. Little did he know he would first have to take on a less glamorous role -- yard lady.

Somebody's got to do it. The kids in the school board sandbox won't play nice.

First, board members threw a tantrum over the very idea of LAUSD reform. Rather than being part of the process, they kicked, screamed, fussed and wailed.

When that didn't work -- and the state Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved Villaraigosa's education bill -- they ran crying to their lawyers, launching a costly legal battle over the future of the district.

Board members think they can fight off reform simply by saying ``no'' all the time. Rather than cooperate with the mayor and his education team, they've opted to pick up their proverbial ball and go home.

When the mayor asked for a list of the candidates the district is considering to replace outgoing Superintendent Roy Romer, the board brats flatly said no. This is a confidential process, they said, and they didn't want to reveal any secrets.

Then Villaraigosa asked if he could meet with the finalists, just like the board members do. Their answer was, of course, no. The secrecy argument here was especially silly, as the names of the finalists were surely going to become public knowledge sooner rather later.

To the mayor's request to have some say in making the decision, the response from the kids in the school board sandbox -- no.

Board President Marlene Canter did offer a couple of pointless compromises: Villaraigosa could interview the next superintendent -- after he or she is selected. Or, he could talk to the finalists, but only if he agreed to back the eventual choice, no matter who that is.

That's insulting even by sandbox standards.

So now it's up to Villaraigosa to be the yard lady, and make the board brats cooperate. And that will mean threatening to fire the new superintendent if he or she doesn't meet his approval -- which would be a waste of taxpayer dollars, and a public rebuke of the board.

Still, it's doubtful if that threat will be enough to make the board members behave, which is a shame. They should remember that their job is to serve L.A.'s kids, not act like them.