SCHOOLS: SECESSION MIGHT AID BREAKUP OF LAUSD.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

San Fernando Valley secession leaders see the possibility of local control of all Valley schools growing out of the changed political climate that approval of secession would bring.

While breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District is not part of the Nov. 5 secession vote, Valley leaders believe a new city's power base and the widespread desire in the community for local control of the schools would eventually prevail.

Approval of Measure K, the $3.35 billion school construction bond also on the Nov. 5 ballot, could affect breakup. The bond would help finance 80 new schools, 84 expansions and provide an additional 35,000 school seats so inner-city students would no longer need to be bused to Valley campuses.

Inadequate school facilities in Los Angeles and potential loss of Valley property tax dollars needed to build campuses were key reasons the state Board of Education rejected a proposal to dismantle the LAUSD last year.

Secessionists argue that a new Valley city of 1.3 million residents could wield considerable political clout over local schools. They believe city leaders would be powerful advocates for breakup.

And they say the LAUSD - the nation's second-largest district, with more than 700,000 students - is simply too big to operate efficiently.

``When people say (secession) has nothing to do with the school district, they are misinformed or lying because it has plenty to do with the school district,'' secession leader Bob Scott has said.

``When you create a community, you are creating a group of people who share an interest, a concern and responsibility,'' he said. ``Once you have that community interest built, which already exists in the San Fernando Valley, it's a logical next step to create the official boundaries and take responsibility for areas within those boundaries.''

A number of candidates running for office in the future Valley city have vowed to make education reform and the breakup of the LAUSD their top priorities if secession is approved.

Secession advocates blame L.A.'s political leadership for scuttling breakup last year but LAUSD school board President Caprice Young disputes that. She says Valley secession does not guarantee LAUSD breakup and notes that the seven-member LAUSD board now has two board seats fully in the Valley, compared with one previously, so that the Valley is getting more attention.

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THE SHAPE OF THE VALLEY CITY

SOURCE: Local Agency Formation Commission/Daily News research

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist