PUBLIC'S ROLE IN SUPERINTENDENT SELECTION WOULD BOOST MOMENTUM : THE MORE THAT ANGELENOS ARE VESTED IN THE DECISION, THE GREATER THE MANDATE TO MAKE THE CHANGES NECESSARY TO TAKE LOS ANGELES' SCHOOLS TO THE TOP OF THE LIST.

Byline: Richard Riordan and Mike Roos

ANGELENOS may not know it, but they face a historic decision within the next month, one that will affect the future of our children, our neighborhoods and our economy - the selection of a new superintendent to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District into the next century.

Today, nearly 650,000 young Angelenos will attend classes in 663 Los Angeles public schools. There is no more important business for any one of us than preparing these children to be full participants in our society, in our community and the workplace.

And yet, the decision of who will lead our school district and direct our children's education may happen outside the public eye, with little or no public input.

Los Angeles' public schools are not making the grade. Despite ``islands of excellence,'' recent studies show that over the last five years most middle and high school students in our district have lost ground in reading, language and math.

Nationally, our fourth-grade students rank in the 36th percentile in reading, the 42nd in language and at the 48th percentile in math. These results are unacceptable. Los Angeles should be at the top of the list, setting the education standard, not chasing it.

A recent national poll reported that the majority of Americans feel that responsibility to improve the quality of public education should rest with local school leaders, not with state or federal officials.

The person who becomes the next superintendent of our schools will be vested with that authority. This leader's vision will define the education of young Angelenos for years to come, and all of us have a right to know what that vision is.

The superintendent selection committee should hold public forums in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles so that parents, teachers and community members can learn more about these superintendent hopefuls and their plans for our children.

These forums should not be debates, but discussions between the candidates and the community. There is momentum building in Los Angeles to have our community more involved in making the decisions which affect our schools, based on the success of the LEARN program. But that momentum is jeopardized if the community is not involved in choosing the new superintendent.

Our community has a right to hear the candidates articulate their proposals to ensure that all children achieve. How will they build on the success of the LEARN reform movement? Are they committed to transfer real decision-making power and accountability to the school site?

How will they integrate technology into the classroom? Provide schools with enough resources to maintain facilities? Productively involve parents? Ensure that all children learn? Nurture professional growth and training of teachers, principals and others in the learning community?

The new superintendent must have the courage to lead, the commitment and ability to put students first, and the dedication to bring meaningful reform to every school.

The new superintendent must also have the backing of our entire community, for we are all stakeholders in the education of our children. The more that Angelenos are vested in the decision of the next superintendent, the greater the mandate to make the changes necessary to take Los Angeles' schools to the top of the list.

We can allow neither our leaders nor our children to fail. As President John F. Kennedy said, our task now is not to fix the blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future. Let us create that path together.

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PHOTO There is momentum building in Los Angeles to have our community more involved in making the decisions which affect our schools.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News