SCHOOLS HAVE FAITH IN PROJECTS.

Byline: Holly Edwards and Sonia Giordani Staff Writer

As the Los Angeles Unified School District scrambles to cover a $600 million shortfall in Proposition BB funds, principals say they have been assured - and remain optimistic - that long-delayed construction projects will move forward.

An estimated $995 million - less than half of the $2.4 billion bond measure approved by city voters in April 1997 - was actually spent on modernization and repair projects, officials said. About $301 million was spent on 1,738 school projects in the San Fernando Valley.

An additional 1,900 projects are slated for Valley campuses, and principals are optimistic that antiquated irrigation systems, cracked pavements and broken lockers will eventually get fixed.

``We've heard rumors that some of these projects are a little iffy, but we made some calls, and the definite word is they've been funded,'' said Rick Rossini, assistant principal at Reseda High School, where district records show 14 projects have been completed to date.

Last week, Superintendent Roy Romer and members of the citizens Prop. BB oversight committee announced that the district faces an estimated $600 million shortfall in funds promised for 12,495 modernization and repair projects. They blamed poor previous management, miscalculated environmental and inflation costs as well as a lack of proper controls for cost overruns.

Romer said the district hopes to recoup some of the funds through developer fees and community redevelopment funds, as well as from state grants. A last-ditch remedy, he said, would include raiding the general fund, which is for instructional services.

LAUSD Facilities Director James McConnell, who joined the district last year, said the shortfall could be less than $600 million. He plans to have a more concrete number, as well as a time-line to complete the projects, by January.

``Clearly the impetus is now to get the work done,'' said McConnell, who said he has teams at the local district and downtown facilities offices working together.

At Reseda High, about $3 million of the $4 million in Proposition BB funding was spent on various projects, including air conditioning for 67 classrooms, according to school officials and district records.

Though the project experienced numerous delays because the original company that started the work went out of business, Reseda High School Principal Robert Kladifko said the wait was worthwhile. For almost a half-century, students at the school sweltered in the Valley's triple-digit summertime temperatures, he said.

``It was horrible,'' sophomore Belinda Martinez said. ``I'd just sit in class and fan myself, and I couldn't concentrate. Now I think my grades have gone up.''

A swath of cracked asphalt is scheduled to be repaved in April 2002 - about a 1 1/2 years later than scheduled - and a replacement for the school's 45-year-old irrigation system is now under design, Rossini said.

At North Hollywood High School, Prop. BB funds were used to replace deteriorated doors, gutters and downspouts, lockers, water lines, bleachers, and exterior stucco.

Assistant Principal David Smith said the program has been troubled, but he also said it's unfair to blame LAUSD officials for all of the delays and unfinished projects.

For example, Smith said, only half of the bleachers on the school's athletic field have been replaced because of a design problem, and the project is now at a stand-still. The bleachers are being redesigned to be handicapped accessible, he said.

The school is also still waiting for a public address system promised by the Prop. BB plan, Smith said.

``It's fair to say that any project identified as a priority four years ago that hasn't been done is going to affect the school in some way,'' he said.

Cleveland High School Assistant Principal Henry Ibach said the school is nearly finished installing a phone system, fire system, security system for classrooms, and data connections and cable television in each classroom.

The school also air-conditioned 87 classrooms, installed new pipes and renovated sprinklers. But Ibach noted that many of the BB projects got off to a rocky start, largely because of delays caused by mistakes made in the planning stages. Architects who initially visited the site to design modernization and repair plans, for instance, overlooked some classrooms that were not adjacent to the main buildings.

``When we let them know, they had to go back to the drawing board,'' Ibach said.

Despite peeling paint and a dysfunctional irrigation system, Polytechnic High School Assistant Principal Christine Clark said she's grateful for the projects that have been completed - such as new fire alarm systems and upgrades to computer labs.

``As long as we're inching forward, I'm appreciative of anything we can get,'' Clark said.

Meanwhile, Monroe High School Assistant Principal Thane Opfell said Prop. BB projects at his school have been virtually snag-free.

Athletic bleachers have been replaced, a new sprinkler system was installed, 16 new classrooms were built and a new chain-link fence was installed around the campus, he said.

While several projects remain to be completed - such as the auditorium renovation and repair to the heat and air conditioning system - Opfell said most of the projects have been completed with few delays.

``We've been really fortunate here to have a good Prop. BB team,'' he said. ``I've been here nine years, and I can definitely see the difference the program has made.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Rick Rossini, assistant principal at Reseda High, says school district Officials have assured him that Prop. BB funding for unfinished repair projects will come through.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer