EDITORIAL MONEY FOR COLLEGES? COMMUNITY COLLEGES PROVIDE A GREAT EDUCATION, BUT HOW WELL DO THEY SPEND MONEY?

THERE'S no denying that Los Angeles' community colleges are worthy or that they're needy.

The question that L.A. voters must answer next April when they consider a proposed $1.2 billion community college construction bond is, Can the Los Angeles Community College District be trusted to spend the money wisely?

Given its recent decision to grant handsome raises to its employee unions, it's hard to say.

The LACCD is the first public agency to take advantage of Prop. 39, the recently approved ballot initiative that makes it much easier for bond measures for education to pass because they only need 55 percent approval. It has proposed a massive $1.2 billion bond that would include funds for 28 new buildings on its three Valley campuses - Mission, Valley and Pierce, more than a fair share of the proceeds.

On its face, the plan has merit. The community college system statewide got shortshrift for the last 20 years and mismanagement in the LACCD compounded the problem. LACCD, to its credit has begun to get its house in order and decentralized authority to the campus presidents.

The community college system is the silver lining in L.A. public education. LACCD takes the graduates from the Los Angeles Unified School District and provides them with the basic education that the LAUSD denied them. It prepares its students for bachelor's degrees at four-year colleges or success in the market place with the skills to get good jobs.

And it does it on a shoestring, with funding that pales in comparison to that of the Cal State or University of California systems. L.A. Community colleges haven't been modernized in decades. Their buildings are antiquated, dilapidated and too often filled beyond capacity.

But as the LAUSD has shown time and again, just because taxpayers throw money at real needs doesn't mean those needs will ever be met.

While the LACCD administration has certainly shown signs of improvement in recent years, its latest decision to grant what amounts to an 8.67 percent pay raise this year to its staff is reminiscent of its less judicious past.

LACCD officials explain that the overly generous pay hike makes up for prior belt-tightening - a nice perk, but one that's unheard of in the private sector. Any institution that depends on the taxpayers for its livelihood should always be tightening its belt. The LACCD can't grow lax about spending just because Prop. 39 has provided a new stream of revenue.

In making its case for its bond measure, LACCD will need to do more than demonstrate its painfully obvious need or its tremendous accomplishments. There's no doubt that the LACCD provides an important educational services and that it could do even better if facilities were updated and improved.

The concern is whether officials can be trusted with a golden egg and whether safeguards are in place that will prevent the money from being squandered.

Taxpayers aren't going to consent to adding up to $50 a year to their property tax bill on the average home until the LACCD addresses that concern - not just in word, but also in deed.