LAUSD FUNDED TO BUILD 44 SCHOOLS; DISTRICT PROMISES CAREFUL OVERSIGHT FOR EACH PROJECT.

Byline: Terri Hardy Sacramento Bureau

A state board agreed on Wednesday to turn over $278 million to the Los Angeles Unified School District to help build 44 new schools after the district entered into a legal agreement to ensure it doesn't replicate the toxics-plagued Belmont Learning Center debacle.

Under the agreement, the LAUSD agreed to get written approval for any new school site, perform proper environmental testing and use the funds only for the new campus projects - and not for cleanup at Belmont.

All seven LAUSD school board members attended the meeting of the State Allocation Board in Sacramento to emphasize the district's need for the money to build new campuses. Within the next 10 years, the LAUSD will need 100 new schools to house a booming student population, district officials have estimated.

``Hopefully, this agreement means we get our ducks in a row and move forward in the most efficient manner possible,'' said LAUSD board member Valerie Fields after the meeting. ``All the board members were here today to show that we stand together on this issue and believe it is crucial to get kids off the bus.''

Last month the district could not get the needed votes from the state board to allocate the money upfront - without initial environmental review of school construction sites.

The funds sought by the LAUSD are from a little-known portion of Proposition 1A, the $9.2 billion state bond issue approved by voters in November.

The LAUSD was seeking dollars earmarked for crowded districts unable to implement class-size reduction. It is one of only two school districts that have applied for that type of funds from Proposition 1A.

After a Daily News story described the district's efforts to obtain the earmarked funds, some lawmakers balked at distributing money to the district because of its history of poor environmental review and failure to build new schools.

Assemblyman Scott Wildman, D-Glendale, a member of the State Allocation Board, led the fight to withhold the money until the district agreed to strict environmental requirements.

``This will assure the people of Los Angeles that schools will actually be built on a time line,'' Wildman said at the meeting. ``In the past the district may have had good intentions, but not a lot of product.''

At the meeting, the new head of facilities for the LAUSD was introduced to the State Allocation Board. Howard Miller was touted as a reformer who would revamp the poorly run department that faces allegations of mismanagement and corruption in the Belmont scandal.

The LAUSD board on Tuesday voted to hire Miller, a real estate attorney and former LAUSD board president, as its facilities reform executive.

Under the school board's plan, the facilities department would be streamlined, with heads of departments reporting to Miller. In turn, Miller would report directly to the board, instead of to Superintendent Ruben Zacarias.

LAUSD board member David Tokofsky said Miller was hired to ensure accountability and redouble the district's efforts to capture hundreds of millions in additional state bond money for new school construction. The Daily News has reported that since passage of Proposition 1A, the district has submitted only six applications for new school construction and several of those applications were returned because they were incomplete.

Instead, the district centered their efforts on the $278 million in up-front cash that does not require proof of environmental review.

And, Tokofsky said it was important to get a handle on a chaotic facilities department that has shown poor results.

``Every time we pick a new school site, we screw up,'' Tokofsky said. ``Clearly, we have major problems with notification of the community, with site selection and with our SAB applications.''

Some state board members and lawmakers representing Los Angeles raised concerns that Zacarias was not included in the reporting process. However, board President Genethia Hayes at the meeting announced that after Miller submits his first report to the board next month he will report to Zacarias.

``There is no question that Dr. Zacarias implements policy and we will make sure he has a say in this process,'' Hayes said. ``This is not an attempt to create confusion or divisiveness.''