WOODLAND HILLS SCHOOL MODEL FOR REFORM.

Byline: NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN Staff Writer

Eighth-graders learning about law and government from a retired Superior Court judge.

Seventh-graders taking medical health-science classes through Kaiser hospital.

Young wannabe chefs getting a tour of the test kitchen at Cheesecake Factory.

As classes begin today at the newly named Woodland Hills Academy, formerly Parkman Middle School, these are some of the opportunities that await the students -- the fruits of a hard-fought battle with the Los Angeles Unified School District for more freedoms to maintain a competitive edge.

Gone are the days when declining enrollment led to the loss of teachers and classes and left just one counselor for 1,000 students.

When district officials fought to prevent the high-performing campus from converting to charter-school status, district leaders gave it freedoms like those under a charter as an incentive to keep a traditional format.

The flexibility unleashed a flurry of activity over the summer. Teachers called in favors from family members and talked business people into participating in classes the school hadn't seen in decades.

More electives

A school that offered two electives last year -- art and keyboarding -- this year will offer 31 electives and three learning academies that cater to student interests: humanities and arts for sixth-graders, medical health science for seventh-graders and law and government for eighth-graders.

What the teachers want to create is the first of its kind in the 727,000-student district, something that is sure to serve as a model after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa got his school-reform bill passed. A key component of the legislation is to give local schools more control over budget, instruction and curriculum.

``There's no negative energy anymore. ... The energy is coming from top down, and we have an administration trying to back up what we're trying to do here -- not working against us,'' said Bruce Newborn, one of the teachers who spearheaded the original effort to turn Parkman into a charter school.

``And we've got all these people out in the community who want to be involved, and that's what is going to make this school great. This is not going to be L.A. Unified as usual.''

The high-performing school had been losing students to Las Virgenes Unified and other nearby districts, as well as to charter and private schools that offered students more choices.

But once the district showered the school with incentives to keep traditional status, teachers applied an unorthodox practice to get the new principal they felt would shepherd them to success.

With their passion and mission to draw students they'd lost, they wooed Al Weiner, a 34-year LAUSD veteran credited with turning Cleveland High into a California Distinguished School. When they fell short by $18,000 of meeting his salary requirement, the teachers voted to raise that amount each year.

It was that refreshing enthusiasm of teachers, wanting to make a real difference and create a new culture at the school, that persuaded him to take the job, Weiner said, even though he had been assigned to another San Fernando Valley school.

``It's exciting trying to create a whole new culture here,'' he said. ``I wanted to make sure I was going to a place that wasn't stuck in the mud and was serious about what they're doing, willing to make changes. The goal here is to develop a model people all over the world can see -- a middle school with a college-type curriculum.''

No more pay

The teachers all agreed to teach an extra class apiece, adding about 10 hours of class time and preparation to their work week for no extra pay. The result: 31 electives, from horticulture to international relations and health care.

Students have already been buzzing about the veterinary/zoology classes, forensic science, photography and creative writing. And in an unusual move, sixth-graders will also be able to take Spanish.

Teacher Deena Merrill said the kids were more excited than she'd seen in four years.

``They were running up to me at the orientation saying, `I'm in your foods class.' If you can get a kid excited about school, that's a first step,'' she said.

``We were already a high-quality school with good teachers, but we're broadening students' education now. When the other schools could offer more ..., I don't blame parents for taking their kids out. We couldn't compete, but now I think we can.''

The electives and academies will encourage students to start thinking about college and careers, said teacher Colleen Schwab, who will serve as a liaison during half the school day and work with the administration to ensure the reform effort moves forward.

And because of a waiver the district agreed to grant, no matter how many kids the school enrolls, it will not lose teachers. Last year, because of declining enrollment, the school lost three teachers and a counselor. This year, it regained those positions.

``We are focusing on career paths and getting kids prepared for jobs after high school or college. We're trying to expose them to a lot of different choices,'' Schwab said.

Already, about 700 people attended sixth-grade orientation Thursday -- twice as many as last year and including some families from nearby charter schools who decided to come back.

Fundraising 

To pay for the new classes, the teachers are looking toward serious fundraising -- beyond bake sales and candy drives. Newborn puts the goal at $100,000 a year.

``It comes down to money, and from the district you know what trickles down? Nothing. But we'll get it,'' Newborn said. ``If we can get the money and resources to the school, we can do great things.''

And as the political climate at the district changes -- with Villaraigosa's legislation awaiting the governor's promised signature, the school is at the cutting edge of education reform, and the teachers know it.

``Everything he (Villaraigosa) wants, we've already done. We had to fight for it. It's starting something brand new,'' Schwab said. ``We do want to set a model, and that model is teachers have to take ownership of the school.''

Hitting a snag

Teachers hit a snag when they first exercised their freedom to hire a principal -- a lesson that showed them they will likely have to continue to fight for change. When Superintendent Roy Romer's office found out about teachers' plan to help pay for Weiner, they were told it wouldn't fly.

After resistance, Romer's office asked them to submit a letter requesting the district pay the $18,000 gap. The school is awaiting a response.

Weiner said the concept is a new one, but he expects teachers will continue to demand that the district honor its agreement with the school.

``I think people are going to be watching what we do and see whether the district remains true to us with the freedoms they've allowed,'' he said. ``If we can't move ahead because of district restrictions, we will proceed with becoming a charter. There's a lot of freedom schools need that they haven't gotten in the past, and we hope to pave the way and be a model for other schools.''

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Al Weiner, the principal of Woodland Hills Academy, previously brought great success to Cleveland High School.

Ana P. Gutierrez/Special to the Daily News

(2) Teacher Deena Merrill checks equipment for her foods class at Woodland Hills Academy.

(3) Bruce Newborn looks forward to teaching photography.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer