QUIZ KIDS TO START '05 CONTEST FUNDING ASSURED FOR STATE LEVEL OF ACADEMIC DECATHLON.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

About 520 Los Angeles Unified School District students will begin the first phase of Academic Decathlon competition Saturday with one less worry: Officials say there's enough money for the state round.

Decathlon coaches and students panicked last November when Marvin Cobb, executive director of the California Academic Decathlon, said the state competition was in jeopardy because he had raised only $10,000 of the $50,000 needed to hold the contest.

But Jeff McCombs, president of the board of directors, said the statewide event will be held in March after $100,000 was received in private donations - nearly half of them through the efforts of California Education Secretary Richard Riordan.

``(Students) can expect the same sort of competition we've had in the past, thanks to the generous support of many new sponsors, including a $50,000 commitment from (Riordan) and some of his contacts.''

Without a state competition, no California team could advance to the national challenge in April. LAUSD high school teams have won 12 state championships and seven national titles.

In recent years, corporate donations have dried up and state budget cuts have crippled support from school districts, forcing sponsors at the state level to eliminate scholarships for winners and meals for the decathletes.

But with the additional $100,000 raised over the past few months, the California Academic Decathlon has paid off 25 percent of its debts and still has about $50,000 in hand for this year's competition, McCombs said.

But state sponsors must still raise money to fund future competitions and pay off the remaining $100,000 debt, Cobb said.

Generally, the California Academic Decathlon requires about $150,000 a year to operate, plus $100,000 in in-kind donations, including use of office space, Cobb said.

On Saturday, LAUSD students will participate in the speech, interview and essay portions of the 10-subject decathlon at Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles. Then, on Feb. 5 at the University of California, Los Angeles, they will take the objective, multiple-choice tests in art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, music and social science.

Teams from both public and private high schools in Los Angeles and Ventura counties also will conclude their regional competitions on Feb. 5. The regional winners - 42 district teams and eight ``wild card'' teams - will then compete at the state level on March 11-12 at the Los Angeles International Airport Marriott Hotel, Beverly Hills High School and UCLA.

Sponsors also are seeking seeking at least 400 volunteers to help run the state competition.

The winning state team will compete at the U.S. Academic Decathlon April 13-16 in Chicago.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

HOW TO HELP

--To donate money to the California Academic Decathlon or volunteer during the competitions, call [phone].

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