EDITORIAL WARNING THE LAUSD LITTLE HOOVER COMMISSION OFFERS TOUGH WORDS OF WISDOM.

THE president of the state's Little Hoover Commission, Michael Alpert, notes that the ``public trust'' in the Los Angeles Unified School District ``has been tarnished by a history of failure.''

That's for sure.

After decades of corruption, bungled land deals and squandered bond measures, the public has long since lost its faith in the LAUSD.

Regaining that trust will require a massive undertaking, but the Little Hoover Commission has spelled out a blueprint for how it can be done. It can be summed up in a word that's scarcely uttered within LAUSD headquarters: oversight.

Chief among the commission's recommendations is that the LAUSD inspector general be given complete independence, his own staff, even subpoena authority.

In a letter to school board President Caprice Young, Alpert stresses that the board should renew the auditor's contract at least six months before it expires, so that there will be no reason to worry that ``the auditor is muting criticism because of contract-related concerns.''

Let's hope Roy Romer gets that message. The LAUSD superintendent has been working behind the scenes to stop the board from renewing Inspector General Don Mullinax's contract or at the least to strip him of the vital independence he needs to be an effective watchdog.

That's the sort of scheming that will only make the public even more mistrustful of the LAUSD.

The commission also recommends that the board start cooperating with the Proposition BB Oversight Committee and give it the employees and resources it needs to function properly.

These are good suggestions. Let's hope the LAUSD takes them to heart before it lapses into its old ways.