FOUR MORE SCHOOLS CHOSEN FOR BEST AFTER-CLASS ACTIVITIES.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

Faced Tuesday with the chance to tap into after-school programs for the first time, Vena Avenue Elementary School Principal Linda Ariyasu didn't know which to choose.

Her Pacoima school was one of four added Tuesday to the list of schools selected for after-class educational and sports programs sponsored by the Better Educated Students for Tomorrow public-private partnership. Students, parents and administrators at the schools pick the programs they want from L.A.'s BEST.

``I'm the principal, so of course I'm going to say math and science,'' she said.

``But if I were a kid, what would I like? Probably the drama and the singing. The fine arts are something all kids need but we never have time to do.''

L.A.'s Best helps meet such needs. Started by the late Mayor Tom Bradley in 1988, the organization offers 19 basic after-school activities, ranging from academic tutoring to arts and sports, for students in low-income neighborhoods.

This year, a $2 million increase in federal funding allowed operations to expand. Along with Vena Avenue Elementary, Loren Miller Elementary School in South Los Angeles, midcity Shenandoah Elementary School and Murchison Street Elementary School in East Los Angeles.

The program now serves 5,800 students at 28 schools.

``Our children are the city's most important asset, and it's crucial that we continue to give them high quality after-school programs that provide safety and academic support,'' Mayor Richard Riordan said in a press release Tuesday. Riordan served on the organization's original board of directors.

``I will continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of L.A.'s BEST because I am convinced that this investment in the development of our young people will pay for itself over and over again,'' he said.

Vena Avenue Elementary is typical of the schools included. Many of its students come from families with working parents, struggling to make ends meet, Ariyasu said. The school already has about 100 children who stay on campus for several hours after class - usually playing games or sports - because their parents can't pick them up until the end of the workday.

The school, where 89 percent of students are Latino, also has many children with limited English skills. Ariyasu hopes L.A.'s BEST will prove particularly helpful to them.

``The drama and singing programs would really help a lot with the kids' language skills,'' she said.