EDITORIAL OVERBUILDING SCHOOLS.

FOR decades, the Los Angeles Unified School District neglected maintenance of existing schools and failed to build new ones, even as the student population soared. The result is severe overcrowding in classrooms, a year-round school schedule for many and students bused miles every day.

Now, after more than $10 billion from taxpayers, the LAUSD could face a very different problem in the next decade - it may be overcompensating for years of inaction by building more schools than are needed.

The LAUSD's own figures project a peak, then a decline, of student growth in the next six to seven years, prompting some on the Board of Education to rightly wonder whether the massive construction plan might lead to too many schools.

Considering how precious land is in Los Angeles and how many other capital needs existing schools have, it would be a wise decision for the district to re-evaluate the construction program to make sure the zeal to ease overcrowding doesn't create an entirely new problem.