EDITORIAL WISHING UPON LAUSD MAYOR'S ``SCHOOLHOUSE'' PLAN IS HOPE FOR SCHOOL REFORM NOW.

WHO can dispute the benefits of having better, cleaner and safer schools?

Who wouldn't want to pay excellent teachers more, empower parents and track down truants before they drop out and join gangs?

Indeed, the 52 elements in Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's reform plan for the Los Angeles Unified School District, artfully named ``The Schoolhouse,'' are generally accepted educational best practices.

But where are the details, and where's the money to bring this wish list to life? And why has the district failed to recognize these good-sense measures in the face of failing schools, chronic absenteeism and a high dropout rate?

The big elephant in the room Wednesday night as Villaraigosa presented his plan was that he lacks the authority to implement it.

A judge has struck down the law that gave Villaraigosa and a council of mayors say over school governance. And though he's willing to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court or a ballot referendum, neither one is going to happen any time soon.

Yet even though Villaraigosa may lack the authority and the money for the reforms he's proposed, he has the political will to force some significant changes.

Instead of viewing his plan as a quixotic proposal destined for the recycle bin, think of it as the opening play in the March school board elections. The mayor has made it clear that the candidates he supports have signed on to his plan, and they will get the benefit of the Villaraigosa political machine during the election.

Of course, LAUSD officials could easily undermine that strategy by commandeering these good-sense initiatives and implementing as many of them as possible. Nothing deflates outrage like responsiveness.

Meanwhile, state legislators floating an LAUSD-breakup bill in Sacramento ought to put their campaign on hold. Only one reform battle at a time, please.

Breakup might be the ultimate solution for fixing the district's intractable problems. But L.A. is not yet there politically. What the mayor's put on the table is the best bet for fixing the LAUSD. And should his effort fail, breakup will take on a new luster.

Villaraigosa may be wishing upon the LAUSD, but in the political reality of Los Angeles, he's the one person who has a chance of seeing his wishes come true.