THE KIDS ARE WAITING, MR. SUPERINTENDENT.

Byline: LOCAL VIEW By Gretchen Garrett

I'M so glad to know that our school superintendent is finally going to fix the Los Angeles Unified School District!

I am nearing the end of my first year as a teacher, and I have been trying to find out who's in charge since last August. I have a list of concerns that have been plaguing me and it's good to know that they will be addressed at last, now that Dr. Ruben Zacarias has been granted expanded powers by the school board.

The Daily News asks whether administrators or teachers are at fault at poorly performing schools. As a mere teacher, I can't speak for administrators but I think if they were allowed to remain on campus for more of the school day, they might be able to effect the accountability that everyone keeps talking about.

Maybe it's just me, but instead of being sent to nonstop conferences that purport to offer training in strategies to deal with problems inherent in running an overcrowded campus, they should actually be present on those campuses. I know LAUSD designed these meetings to deal with a crucial need, but the children are waiting, Dr. Zacarias.

As for the teachers, well, that is a big bite of the apple. I am not alone when I say that it would be much easier to teach children what they need to know if I were provided with all the ``trappings'' of an educational system, i.e., textbooks, equipment, paper, pencils and well-maintained facilities.

I don't know if it has come to your attention or not, Dr. Zacarias, but the L.A. in LAUSD stands for Los Angeles, and in this desert community, a day without air conditioning is like a day without air. And the children are waiting, Dr. Zacarias.

I am further thrilled to hear that you will be using this, the first year of Proposition 227's implementation, to gauge student performance. What better time than the moment when thousands of non-English speaking students are being set adrift in the district's sea of beleaguered schools. Master Plan indeed! This year's test scores will prove that students can't read the questions, not that they don't know the answers. But you already know that. I'm happy to know that you will be fixing this problem just as soon as you can, but remember, the children are waiting.

As for your plan to transfer and shuffle personnel at underachieving sites, I am pleased to know that you deem staff qualifications as your first priority. I myself have been, and will be, assessed by a veritable alphabet soup of exams, in order, I assume, to ascertain my fitness to teach. It's comforting to know that your standards for hiring teachers will be pivotal in weeding out those teachers who just can't cut the mustard.

It is reassuring to know that after all those retire, those who have given their lives in the service of educating children or just those who you hold responsible for dismal test scores - after they're all gone, you have a backlog of highly qualified teaching candidates breaking down the doors of 450 Grand.

I guess all those rumors of a national teacher shortage are unfounded. And even if you don't ``get rid of'' teachers deemed unfit, just rearrange the chessboard and try again. But while you are playing games, don't forget that the children are waiting, Dr. Zacarias.

I'm just tickled to know that we finally have someone in our midst who is ready to take on the hard assignments. Someone unafraid to tackle the problems that have stymied many great minds. Dr. Ruben Zacarias, superintendent of schools of the Los Angeles Unified School District, will meet the challenges of heading up a sluggish, unwieldy school district that is choking on its own accountability demands. Fell as many trees as testing requires, fill out all your transfer forms, there is no paper in the forest that will teach our children. And while you and the board are out there in the woods playing blind man's bluff with each other, I pray that ASAP doesn't mean ``A Substandard, Accountability Plan.'' Remember that the children are waiting, Dr. Zacarias.