LAUSD LEFT THE PARENTS BEHIND AUDIT FINDS DISTRICT GAVE UP ON REFORMS.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer

Los Angeles Unified School District disenfranchised parents and the community from the decision-making process when it abandoned the core of its highly touted 2000 reorganization, a state audit released Thursday said.

The state report, requested last summer by Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, also found that the district failed to achieve lasting staff reductions -- another goal of Los Angeles Unified's reorganization.

``The school district all but abandoned these efforts of serious reform and the school district cannot give lip service to parents or the community. Reforms have to result in savings and higher education attainment for students,'' said Montanez, an ally of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who voted for his education-reform legislation that is now awaiting the governor's signature.

The reorganization was implemented in 2000 by then-interim Superintendent Ramon Cortines -- who now is Villaraigosa's education deputy -- in response to efforts by activists in the San Fernando Valley to break away from the nation's second-largest school district.

Cortines divided the sprawling district, which then had some 750,000 students, into 11 mini-districts in an effort to increase parental and community involvement. Each mini-district was supposed to have its own advisory council comprised of parents, community members and district staffers.

But budget problems in 2004 forced the district to consolidate the mini-districts to just eight. Today, there are only four active advisory councils, two of which are performing as intended by the 2000 reorganization plan.

``I think what was most astonishing and troubling was after the reorganization of 2000 -- which was done as an attempt to silence the voice of parents who wanted greater involvement -- the audit showed there's less parental and community involvement than there was before,'' Montanez said.

Villaraigosa's office said the audit underscores the problem addressed in the bill recently approved by the Legislature: The need to overhaul Los Angeles Unified.

``The findings of this audit support what Mayor Villaraigosa and the education reform partnership have been saying. We need to wake up and shake up the bureaucracy known as the LAUSD,'' said Janelle Erickson, spokeswoman for the mayor.

``The Los Angeles school district needs to replace its culture of complacency with high expectations, shift the focus and dollars back to the classroom and start engaging parents in a meaningful way.''

Superintendent Roy Romer, the former Colorado governor hired in 2000 to turn around the faltering district, acknowledged that the parent community advisory councils outlined in the 2000 reorganization plan are not operating as they should and ``deserve re-evaluation,'' but said they are just a small part of the LAUSD's efforts to involve parents in the district.

He denied that administrators have shut out parents from the decision-making process, saying that each local district has a parent liaison and each new school will have a parent center.He also said he's spent the past six years working to improve student performance and build badly needed schools.

He added, however, that he looks forward to collaborating with the state auditors to further improve the district's operation.

``Improved efficiency and accountability is key to achieving these goals, and I am pleased to partner with state auditors to identify the best ways to bring real reform to help protect the public's money and ultimately deliver more educational resources to our kids,'' said Romer, who has previously announced that he plans to retire this fall.

Montanez said she's not worried that Villaraigosa's proposed reforms will be abandoned or forgotten because the public will be able to hold him accountable for results -- successes or failures.

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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HIGHLIGHTS

Here are highlights of the state auditor's report on the Los Angeles Unified School District:

The district has ``all but abandoned'' efforts to increase parental and community involvement, a goal of its 2000 reorganization.

Promised staffing reductions were only temporary, and the number of support employees has actually increased over 1999 levels. The district says additional employees are needed to manage school construction and technology programs.

The district should evaluate why local advisory councils have not met objectives; develop guidelines for what the councils should accomplish; and define how local districts can help.

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HIGHLIGHTS (see text)