SCHOOL FORCED TO FIGHT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

Byline: Tatyana Berkovich Local View

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your dreams.

FOR years, I dreamed about building a school where parents could send their children and know that they are getting an education that actually prepares them for the real world. I had dreams of teachers being able to teach to the individual needs of students in classrooms with 20 to 25 students, not 35 or 40. I had dreams of giving parents a choice in their childrens' educational setting, even if they didn't have the money to make that choice.

This year, as the principal of a new public charter school, Ivy Academia in Woodland Hills, those dreams were about to come to fruition. But God must be laughing hysterically at how my dreams have panned out.

First the California Department of Education approved Ivy's charter, as did the Los Angeles Unified School District. But after those early successes, we never would have guessed that a politician - more interested in pandering to voters than in looking out for the welfare of our children - would soon fight us every step of the way.

We admit we have made our share of mistakes. And there have been many city officials eager to help us rectify these mistakes and open up our De Soto Avenue campus. But even with all the day-to-day problems that arose in the construction of our school, things were going well - until City Councilman Dennis Zine got involved.

Zine indicated to city employees that he would not allow Ivy to open until our school pays for and completes a $20,000 traffic study. We appealed to his conscience: This is a public school and it's usually the Department of Transportation that conducts traffic studies and provides mitigation to help public schools open. But Zine's mind was set. So our 250 students continue to be spread out over three different sites waiting for the moment they can finally move into their permanent location.

Without political support, our public charter school might be expected to pay for construction of a $150,000 traffic signal on one of the local intersections. In total, more than 15 percent of our budget could have to go to improving local streets. But this money needs to go where it belongs - toward books, supplies and teachers to properly educate our students.

Zine has argued, through press releases and intimidating letters to our parents, that we failed to listen to the advice given from his staff, Building and Safety, and Planning Department officials. But if he actually spoke with B&S officials himself, as we have on a daily basis, he would have found out that, per B&S instructions, that every permit and safety concern is being dealt with properly. By design, acquiring permits takes time and is a step-by-step process.

If the councilman took the time to check the city's own Web site, instead of calling his staff, he would have found out we were doing exactly what B&S requested.

And while Councilman Zine chooses to vent through the press, while not lifting a finger to help get our students into the school of their choice, LAUSD Assistant Superintendent Jean Brown and Charter Schools Director Roberta Benjamin have asked the LAUSD's own traffic department to aid in getting Ivy assistance with the traffic impact situation.

But despite all of these problems, we have trudged forward, becoming stronger and more knowledgeable with each and every obstacle we have faced. I know that soon we will all be in our beautiful and safe Ivy Academia location.

While many have said that much of my dreams for our children have had a twist of a nightmare to them, our dedicated staff, wonderful parents, motivated students and I have learned from our problems, mistakes and bumps in the road. Even Zine's excessive interference has been a real opportunity for growth. Growth I would have never attained if my dreams went as I had planned.

This lesson is one that I will make sure to pass on to each and every Ivy Academia student. So thank you, Councilman Zine. We couldn't have learned this lesson without you.