PANEL RELEASES LAUSD-REFORM STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE DECENTRALIZATION, BUT LESS MAYORAL INFLUENCE.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer

A blue-ribbon panel on education released the results of its yearlong study on reforming Los Angeles Unified on Thursday -- recommendations that clash in several key areas with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vision for the city's public schools.

The 54 recommendations presented by the 30-member Presidents' Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance include decentralizing the district and giving greater authority to administrators and teachers at local schools -- hallmarks of proposed legislation brokered by Villaraigosa and two powerful teachers unions.

But the report also recommends requiring voter approval for any major change in school district governance and giving the mayor only a limited role in the district.

Villaraigosa's proposed legislation, which calls for giving him the power to hire and fire a superintendent, would bypass voters. It is scheduled to be considered by the Legislature next month.

While the commission's recommendations are nonbinding, City Councilman Jose Huizar, the former school board member who co-founded the panel, predicted that the findings will play an important role in reshaping L.A.'s education system.

``I think it's very timely given the focus of the public and the city on the school district,'' Huizar said. ``This is a rare opportunity to make some fundamental changes to LAUSD. It doesn't compete with the state legislation -- it complements it.''

Villaraigosa said the legislation, which he announced last month, includes some of the panel's recommendations.

``Many elements of the Joint Governance Commission's initial recommendations are already part of my education-reform proposal,'' he said.

While the commission urged the LAUSD board to develop a strategy that would grant more autonomy to local schools within three years, a minority report authored by nine Villaraigosa allies said the mayor should take the lead in decentralizing the district.

And one element of the report -- to make school board members subject to the same ethics and financial-disclosure laws as elected city officials -- was already introduced by Huizar on Tuesday.

The panel was formed in April 2005, before Villaraigosa was elected mayor, as Huizar and then council President Alex Padilla sought ways to improve student achievement, increase parental involvement and enhance school safety.

They were charged with recommending whether the 727,000-student district should be subdivided, placed under the authority of the mayor or have full-time board members.

And even as it held more than two dozen hearings throughout the city, Villaraigosa launched an attack against Los Angeles Unified that has overshadowed the panel's work.

But the commission's co-chairman, David Cunningham, said the report will prove valuable to lawmakers as they consider the mayor's legislation.

``How can legislators ignore a year's worth of work that sought community outreach from people who live in L.A., national experts and a number of stakeholders like parents, teachers and community-based organizations?'' he said.

``I think that's important and our voice should be heard. If that's going to be ignored by the state Legislature, we probably will wind up with a system that won't work.''

School board President Marlene Canter said she will act immediately on the panel's recommendations.

``I intend to take this very seriously because it was done very thoughtfully,'' she said. ``I think it's incumbent upon us to evaluate it and to implement changes we feel are appropriate.''

But school board member David Tokofsky said while a lot of work was put into studying how to reform the school district, the recommendations fail to address how to improve student achievement.

``This commission learned the complexities of an urban school district and how one might be able to achieve change and that stands in stark contrast to the simplistic, monotone solutions of the mayor,'' he said.

``But their solution is more on governance and pay, and that is not going to affect my child's learning in elementary school.

``People still don't get it,'' he said. ``It's not about power and money. It's about kids learning.''

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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BLUE-RIBBON PROPOSALS

After holding more than two dozen meetings, the Joint Commission on Los Angeles Unified School District Governance issued 54 recommendations, including the following identified as among the ``key'':

Decentralize LAUSD and grant school-level control over budgets, personnel and curriculum.

Establish a full-time school board, with a commensurate salary. Members would be subject to the same ethics and campaign rules as the Los Angeles City Council, along with term limits.

De-politicize labor negotiations by turning over responsibility to an independent panel.

Increase the involvement of the 27 cities in LAUSD, along with the county Board of Supervisors, in setting education policy and budgets.

See Page 14 for more and dailynews.com for the report

RECOMMENDATIONS

Organize schools into ``clusters'' composed of a community high school and feeder middle and elementary schools.

Abolish the LAUSD's local district offices.

Restructure the central district office so it supports rather than controls the system.

Refocus the school board so it concentrates on policy rather than operations. It should retain authority for hiring/firing the superintendent, approving the annual budget and selecting school sites.

Improve school and community safety.

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Photo:

(1) BLUE-RIBBON PROPOSALS (see text)

(2) RECOMMENDATIONS (see text)