SCHOOL BOND A HARD SALE.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Staff Writer

Los Angeles Unified plans to plunge ahead with a massive local school bond in November although the measure will share the ballot with San Fernando Valley secession - a movement inspired partly by dissatisfaction with the public school system.

LAUSD officials now are looking at a construction bond issue on the order of $3.2 billion - a figure so high that many political experts warn they could be jeopardizing passage even though a majority of only 55 percent now is needed.

``This is a very unique election and a historic time in Los Angeles. This very important education bond measure could potentially get lost in the mix,'' said Richard Lichtenstein, a Los Angeles-based Democratic political consultant.

School bonds already garner sparse support from fiscally conservative Valley voters. The LAUSD, with a poor track record of managing its $2.4 billion Prop. BB bond, will have to work especially hard to convince voters it won't make the same mistakes again.

And now with secession on the ballot, some political strategists warn the issue could make for a rocky campaign trail for the school district.

``The debate in this election will be about how big or small we want government to be, and anything that gets in the way of that debate is taking a risk,'' said Allan Hoffenblum, a GOP consultant.

``I could see people who support secession voting against the bond issue because they will perceive the bond as perpetuating a bloated L.A. Unified School District,'' he said.

But LAUSD officials maintain that city secession has nothing to do with the school bond. In fact, the nation's second-largest district would remain intact even if secession succeeds.

``Proponents of secession may want to break up the city, but they still need schools to be built in their neighborhoods,'' said Fabian Nunez, LAUSD director of government affairs.

``They want the dilapidated schools to be repaired. They want to ensure there's fire safety on campuses and bathrooms that operate. They want to get the children off the buses.''

School officials said the urgency stems, in part, from the state's plans to put a $13 billion bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, followed by a $12.3 billion bond in 2004. Because the LAUSD is short $600 million in Prop. BB funds, district officials say approval of the local bond is crucial to provide matching funds for the coming state bonds.

``We've got to be able to match the state bond or we lose that money,'' Superintendent Roy Romer warned.

With 85,000 new students expected during the next several years, the district must build enough new schools or place more existing campuses on year-round schedules - a step the district is reluctant to take.

To build 83 new schools and complete modernization projects, the district needs to raise at least $1.6 billion in local funds but could ask for as much as $4.6 billion, Romer said.

Romer, former Colorado governor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is leading the charge for the new bond. He already has assembled a team of political consultants, planned fund-raisers and kick-off parties and begun his tour of editorial boards at local media outlets to drum up support for the bond.

And in an appeal to the Valley's selnterest, school officials promise that the new bond money will help complete 25 projects in the Valley, including 14 new schools.

It's likely that a majority of the board, including board President Caprice Young, will vote to move forward with the measure this fall.

``I don't know whether or not secession will affect our bond, but it's something we will have to do regardless,'' Young said. ``No matter where people stand on break-up, everyone is in favor of making sure our kids have a great education. And you need to have a physical space for them to go to school.''

But some say LAUSD is taking a big chance by wandering into the political arena asking for a new bond during the fight for Valley secession. Local frustration with the school district has been a key element driving Valley cityhood.

Board member David Tokofsky is urging the board to wait. Not only is secession on the ballot but the state gubernatorial election promises to be a nasty fight between Gov. Gray Davis and Republican contender Bill Simon.

``I'm supportive of a bond, but it's wiser to wait,'' Tokofsky said. ``The November election is going to be about city and state issues. Why not wait until next spring? We have school board races and the election can be focused fundamentally on schools.''

In recent months, secession has gained renewed attention from local residents unhappy with the City Council's handling of redrawing boundary lines for Valley school board seats.

``We've heard from a lot of people saying they are fed up,'' said Diana Dixon-Davis, a member of the school board redistricting commission appointed by San Fernando Valley board member Julie Korenstein.

``These are people who don't like the way the districts are getting cut up, and they're coming out saying they want more control over what happens to them because they are not feeling respected by the City Council.''

Staunch secessionists also say that LAUSD should wait until next year to make its case.

``On Nov. 5, there will be a vote for change in local government and I think it's a mistake for them to put on a huge ballot measure for more money for a school district that has problems,'' said Richard Close, a leader of the Valley cityhood movement.

One of the biggest problems facing the LAUSD will be regaining the public's trust after bungling the BB bond, approved by city voters in 1997. Recent audits and reports concluded that LAUSD is short $600 million in Prop. BB funds - a result of squandering funds on management fees, needless litigation and other mistakes.

``The school district has a very poor track record as far as what they did with BB,'' said Stephanie Carter, a longtime LAUSD critic who led a recent failed movement to break up the school district.

The state Board of Education rejected the proposal last December after concluding, in part, that downtown neighborhoods need the Valley's tax base to build new schools. The board also was impressed by the district's new facilities management team, who vowed to turn around the troubled department.

But she said the mismanaged BB bond still leaves a bad taste in Valley voters' mouths.

``It makes those of us who may have voted for BB very tentative about wanting to support another bond issue even though we support public education 100 percent,'' said Carter, who is not affiliated with the secession movement.

A new audit from state Controller Kathleen Connell is due for release later this month. An earlier draft was so damaging that Romer made a personal visit to persuade her to tone down its language.

Ultimately, the success of the bond will ride on the support of those voters who determine they have little choice but to approve the bond to ensure their children receive a quality public education.

``I was very disappointed with the handling of the BB funds,'' said Michael Williamson, a parent volunteer at Wilbur Elementary, Portola Middle and Taft High schools. ``But BB also did a lot for our schools. We got air conditioning and the walls got painted.

``If there's an overriding need for something like school construction, hopefully we will look at that as a separate issue from secession.''