EDITORIAL THINKING BIGGER BABY STEPS WON'T PRODUCE REAL REFORM OF THE LAUSD.

REFORMING the Los Angeles Unified School District will be no small or easy task. And, much to her credit, state Sen. Gloria Romero seems to appreciate that.

On Friday, Romero proposed what could be a revolutionary change in the way the LAUSD does business. Her bill would allow Los Angeles' mayor to appoint members of the school board, who now get elected in widely ignored elections dominated by special interests, mainly the district's unions.

In short, Romero's bill would bring some accountability to the LAUSD by making the mayor responsible for the schools.

Currently, the mayor has no input in the LAUSD, yet education was the hottest issues in this year's mayoral race. Clearly the public wants the mayor to play an active role in the schools, and to be able to hold the mayor accountable for schools' performance.

In addition to permitting the mayor to make board appointments, Romero's bill would allow him to pick the superintendent, thus giving the mayor the authority over education that the public seems to expect.

This would be a marked improvement over the current system, in which board members and the superintendent face very little accountability whatsoever. Due to the size of the board members' districts, the steep costs of running a campaign and easy access to special-interest cash, no amount of failure seems to be a problem for board members or their political aspirations.

But more important than Romero's bill itself is the debate it fuels - a much-needed public discussion about the future of the LAUSD.

Last Thursday, a panel assembled by school board President Jose Huizar and City Council President Alex Padilla began addressing the question of how the LAUSD should be governed. And speaking Monday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also stressed the need for a change at the LAUSD, while proposing a series of small steps.

The panel's meetings, in conjunction with the legislative process in Sacramento and the mayor's efforts, ensure that the subject of an LAUSD shake-up - or even breakup - will not disappear just because the mayoral election is behind us.

As Romero has stressed, all those involved in re-envisioning the LAUSD must be willing to consider all possibilities.

``I recognize this bill is willing to think outside the box,'' Romero said last week, ``and I'm willing to stir it up. This is an opportunity for us to think big.''

Think big - that's the key.

The problems of the LAUSD are too great for tinkering. Dismal test scores and dropout rates, massive waste and inefficiency and parental disenfranchisement all call for a thorough re-examination of the way the district operates.

It's time for all elected officials to start thinking big about reforming the LAUSD or breaking it into manageable pieces that empower parents and teachers.