LAUSD CHIEF SEARCH RAISES REFORM ISSUE.

Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer

As the Legislature fast-tracks a bill to reform Los Angeles Unified, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other local officials voiced concern Tuesday that the school board might try an end run to delay the impact of the measure.

Villaraigosa and officials from two neighboring cities said they have heard that the LAUSD wants to extend a multiyear contract when it hires a successor for retiring Superintendent Roy Romer.

``We have heard they are considering getting around the legislation by hiring a superintendent and giving them a five-year contract,'' Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. ``But bringing a superintendent and giving him a five-year contract, to use taxpayer dollars to make it difficult to fire that individual...I hope they would do better than that and be more thoughtful.''

The district has formed a search committee to find a successor for Romer, who has announced he wants to retire this fall.

School Board President Marlene Canter said the board is continuing to search for a new superintendent, despite the expected passage of Assembly Bill 1381, the mayor's education- reform bill.

``Our search committee had a list of 100 names and that is being narrowed down,'' Canter said. ``My feeling is the kind of national leader we're looking for and will hopefully find is someone who will want to be assured they have a job for some time.''

She also said the longest contract the board could award would be for four years.

Villaraigosa said he expects AB 1381 will be approved Thursday by the Senate Appropriations Committee and will be passed by the Senate next week with only limited opposition.

Appearing with Villaraigosa were the mayors of South Gate and Maywood, two of the 26 cities also served by Los Angeles Unified. Under AB 1381, the neighboring cities would be members of a Council of Mayors that would have veto power over the superintendent.

Also on Tuesday, Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, issued a statement supporting the mayor's education plan.

Canter said she is not prepared to concede the legislation to Villaraiogsa and has been in Sacramento all week to try and persuade legislators to vote against it.

She said the bill would not resolve instructional issues or deal with the district's dropout rate, which the state estimates is 24 percent and Villaraigosa pegs at 50 percent.

``I don't think this legislation does the first thing in addressing dropouts,'' Canter said.

But Villaraigosa said he would conduct a survey to pinpoint the dropout level and also would implement an aggressive anti-truancy program.

``That's where the road to dropout starts, when kids stop going to classes,'' Villaraigosa said.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, flanked by Felipe Aguirre, mayor pro tem of Maywood, left, and Bill DeWitt, vice mayor of South Gate, talks about the status of AB 1381 during a news conference Tuesday at Los Angeles City Hall.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer