Resign, please

It’s not easy to admit a mistake and try to rectify it. Good for some members of the Los Angeles Unified school board, then, as they examine the possibility of removing Supt. David L. Brewer, who has proved largely ineffective. If only Brewer were equally willing to admit that his hiring was an intriguing idea that didn’t work out.

Unfortunately, Brewer’s critics on the board tried a quick-and-dirty approach to pushing him out, notifying some members at the last moment about a closed-door meeting to discuss his fate and urging the superintendent’s staunchest supporter, Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, to return from a long-scheduled conference in San Diego in order to attend. The effort faltered, but it would be a shame if this dissuaded board President Monica Garcia from trying again, the right way.

Though Brewer has vowed to stay on, his position is even more compromised today than it was when Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines took over most of the district management duties. Brewer’s performance, or lack of it, is now a matter of public discussion, and when he lobbies Sacramento or Washington for more funding, one of the few tasks remaining to him, he will be seen as the school administrator whose own board has little confidence in him.

The move to fire Brewer is a touchy matter politically. LaMotte, the sole African American on the board, is expected to defend the superintendent, who also is black, and several prominent members of the black community appear to be poised to take his side. That represents a potential political threat, far down the road, to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who supported Garcia and other school board members who are most hostile to Brewer.

But this isn’t the proper arena for racial politics. The decision to fire Brewer or not must be made solely on the basis of what’s best for students. True, black youngsters may benefit from seeing a successful African American man, a retired vice admiral, leading the schools, but they would benefit far more from a well-run district -- something they don’t have now.

Brewer is a man of intelligence and energy; no one could have foreseen that his previous accomplishments would never translate into the kind of educational and political acumen that would make him worth his $381,000 a year in salary and perks. Yet there’s little point in forcing him to leave if the district has to pay out most of his contract. If he cares about students as much as he says, he will put them first by voluntarily resigning and taking a modest severance to see him through to his next endeavor. The money saved would allow the district to keep teachers, which it needs more than a figurehead superintendent.