LAUSD: UNION WINS THREATEN BREAKUP EFFORT.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

Tuesday's elections have swung the political pendulum of the Los Angeles school board back in favor of the teachers union, with implications for issues ranging from student achievement to breakup of the school district.

Jon Lauritzen, Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte and David Tokofsky - backed by United Teachers Los Angeles - triumphed at the polls against candidates supported by former Mayor Richard Riordan's Coalition for Kids.

School board President Caprice Young, who ran on a platform to break up the school district, and board member Genethia Hudley Hayes were defeated in stunning upsets. Coalition-endorsed board member Mike Lansing, who ran without union opposition, won in a landslide.

The union's election victories - if confirmed by final vote tallies - mean its candidates will soon hold four of seven seats. And while Tokofsky ran with union support, he is seen as a swing vote on the board because of his independent streak.

``It certainly seems to signal the defeat of the reform effort. That's unfortunate,'' said Bob Scott, a San Fernando Valley political activist who supports school breakup and secession.

``I would say we are returning to the days of 10 years ago when it was business as usual and when the school board was impenetrable.''

Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, expects there will be many contentious votes because of the board's new composition.

``You still have the losing side, the so-called reform side,'' he said. ``The coalition is still intact, and the union is not going away.''

UTLA President John Perez touts the election of retired teacher Lauritzen and retired principal LaMotte as a step forward.

``I believe that the parents and citizens of this community voted last night to put people on the school board who have some experience in the classroom. So in a time of severe economic crisis, there will be people who understand that the classroom is where education occurs, and any budget cuts have to be kept as far away from children as possible,'' he said.

With funding drastically cut back by the state, the LAUSD is facing a $480 million deficit over the next 15 months.

Perez counts on the new board majority being more sensitive to the union's interests on a range of issues, from classroom instruction and school calendar to labor negotiations and professional development.

``We want to be in on the ground floor,'' he said. ``For four years, we have been totally shut out.''

In the San Fernando Valley's 3rd District race, Lauritzen defeated Young by a 20 percent margin. They each spent about $1 million on their campaigns, which averages $36 for each Lauritzen vote and $53 for every Young vote.

Young's race - the hardest-fought and most expensive of four board races - was pivotal, not only because of her breakup proposal, but also because she is a key leader of the reform coalition.

``I would say that this was a pretty resounding vote against breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District,'' said Young.

But others discount her assessment.

``It's a battle between the centralists and decentralists. Right now it looks like the centralists won this round,'' said Scott. ``But the sentiment (for breakup) and need for breakup is still there.''

Regalado believes both Young's and Hayes' candidacies were hurt by their association with the coalition, a business-supported campaign finance group co-chaired by Riordan and billionaire Eli Broad.

``I think the perception is that the Coalition for Kids is a kind of front for some rich guys from the Westside,'' he said.

Riordan said that despite the setback dealt the coalition, he would continue to take a leadership role in improving public education.

``I am going to be working to reform the schools forever,'' he said. ``Until the day I die.''