UTLA CASH RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT ENDORSEMENTS GROUPS TOOK DONATIONS, BACKED LAUSD OVERHAUL.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer

Parents' and community groups that have backed UTLA's school reform vision have received thousands of dollars from the teachers' union, officials acknowledged Wednesday -- a disclosure that raises questions about the organizations' independence.

Community Coalition, Inner City Struggle, CARECEN, Families in Schools, One L.A.-IAF have received more than $40,000 in donations since October 2005 -- some, just days after they publicly endorsed the union's proposal for reforming the Los Angeles Unified School District.

A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said the union has contributed regularly to some of the groups over the past few years but vehemently denied it had ``bought'' the groups' support.

``We donate to organizations whose philosophy matches ours and all of these organizations are parent community groups that believe, as we do, that the bureaucracy is out of control and that teachers and parents are natural allies and ought to be partners in crafting a reasonable and sensible education program for students,'' Duffy said.

``It's ludicrous to think that community groups like ACORN, One L.A., Community Coalition and CARECEN can be bought by anyone.

``Those are community groups with great integrity who are constantly fighting for the rights of parents and students,'' he said.

After months of being at odds on the issue of mayoral control of LAUSD, the UTLA and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa brokered a deal at the end of June to overhaul Los Angeles Unified -- a plan that would give greater control to local school sites and the mayor more authority over district operations.

Several groups subsequently came out in support of UTLA, including The Say YES to Children Network - which organized a protest Jan. 26 at LAUSD's headquarters criticizing the district for spending money on public relations rather than in the classroom.

Documents show that the group received $5,000 from UTLA in April.

Los Angeles Unified school board member David Tokofsky said the contributions call into question the groups' rationale for supporting the plan. He also used the disclosure of the donations to blast critics who have questioned the district's campaign to retain the status quo.

``To criticize the school district for putting a little investment into government relations and communications during a very heated piece of legislation, when nobody tried to deceive anybody about what that was -- this borders at best on disingenuous and at worst doesn't maximize the real abilities of these organizations,'' Tokofsky said.

But the disclosure of the donations should be useful information to the public in weighing the positions taken by individuals and organizations, said Raphael Sonenshein, political science professor at California State University, Fullerton.

``I would expect that people on both sides of this debate are going to pull out individuals and groups who are within their political family who may appear to have independent positions to take but may not be as independent as they appear,'' he said.

``This is a `let the buyer beware,' and the advantage of what the media can do is help clarify who are the main players in the debate, the satellites, and who are the genuinely independent voices.''

Since Duffy took over as UTLA president, the union has tried to expand its donations and interaction with community groups, said Joel Jordan, director of special projects at UTLA.

One L.A., a nonprofit that received $20,000 from the union in April, testified before the Senate Education Committee last month in support of a bill that would give the mayor more authority over the nation's second-largest school district.

But One L.A. officials said the $20,000 represents the payment of the union's annual membership dues. The group also received $25,000 from UTLA in 2004-05.

``We're not promoting UTLA's agenda. We're representing the community of people in our neighborhoods, and with this particular issue, the parents and families in the Los Angeles Unified school system,'' said Yvonee Mariajimenez, a One L.A. leader in the San Fernando Valley and deputy director at neighborhood legal services of Los Angeles County.

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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