REFORMERS BLAST RAISE FOR TEACHERS.

Byline: Erik N. Nelson and Harrison Sheppard Staff Writers

Los Angeles' leading education reformers on Wednesday slammed a proposed 13.5 percent pay hike for Los Angeles Unified School District teachers, saying the deal would impoverish academic programs and fail to put good teachers where they're needed most.

Critics of the tentative agreement, which provides salary increases of 11.5 percent plus making permanent a 2 percent bonus raise granted a year ago, said the new one-year deal could force deep budget cuts in the future if the state budget surplus dries up and the Bush administration demands achievement under threat of cutting off federal school funds.

``Unless we change the culture rapidly and get vastly improved results, the district is going to be in trouble,'' said educational reform philanthropist and civic leader Eli Broad. ``This new administration in Washington - which is really supported by a number of Democrats and independents - it's not going to just keep feeding this district with money without it being accountable for results.''

The contract - which has tentative support of four of the seven board members - was negotiated by Superintendent Roy Romer and United Teachers Los Angeles.

It could cost LAUSD an extra $249 million and force $100 million in cuts from academic programs and textbooks next school year and $200 million the following year, said school board member Caprice Young.

She opposes the deal, as do board President Genethia Hayes and board member Mike Lansing - all three of them elected in 1999 as reformers with help from Broad and Mayor Richard Riordan, among others.

Romer argues he won a key concession from the union by getting principals the authority to assign less-experienced teachers to grade levels and unpopular year-round schedules that include July and August - but critics called it a token gain and falls far short of restoring the full authority of principals surrendered a decade ago.

Riordan, through a spokesman, questioned how the contract would improve the quality of education.

``He feels this might be a little too generous because it doesn't place the children at the district as its top priority,'' Riordan spokesman Peter Hidalgo said. ``And he is concerned some of the other priorities, like textbooks, school overcrowding and building new schools, are being neglected.''

Romer, who detailed the tentative agreement during a live televised address to district staffers, said the district can afford the pay raises without cutting vital programs.

Mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa described it as a ``win-win situation.

``Most of the raises around the area have been averaging 12 percent, so this is in the ballpark,'' Villaraigosa said. ``And I think it's wrong to raise the issue that this will affect the textbook program. The legislation we passed in Sacramento last year specifically said that money cannot be used for anything but buying new books.''

Romer said he will draw on more than $47 million in money budgeted but not spent. He also plans to institute an administrative hiring freeze - not a salary freeze as he said at a press conference Tuesday - which he hopes can save $5 million.

Hayes said the contract is far too expensive, not just for this year, but for the future years that will build on this raise. As a result, she predicted that programs and supplies will have to be cut.

``What I don't like about it is I don't like the cuts that we're going to have to make,'' Hayes said. ``I don't like the fact that once again we are pitting the needs of our teachers against the needs of our students.''

UTLA President Day Higuchi said the contract got a positive reception Wednesday at a meeting of union representatives from every school, and he predicted the membership would pass it when it meets Feb. 12-14.