L.A. Unified needs to do the math

Now that the Los Angeles Unified School District has more construction money than it knows what to do with, all it needs is enough money to operate the schools it already has.

Don’t blame local school leaders for the catastrophic condition of the state budget. If the Legislature approves the package of new taxes sought by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, L.A. Unified alone will still have to cut more than $200 million in the middle of this school year. Without the new taxes, the figure doubles, and further cuts are in store next year.

But the school board must own up to its role in the district’s current troubles. It has repeatedly favored the politically flashy over the fiscally prudent. A prime example is the $7-billion school renovation bond that voters approved Nov. 4. The district has no plans for nearly $3 billion of that money; it placed the bloated measure on the ballot because polls indicated that it could get more, and it did, with close to 70% of the vote.

The district can use the new money only for construction and repair, though, while it desperately needs revenue for teachers and textbooks. Had the board split the measure -- with a bond large enough to cover anticipated construction needs, plus a parcel tax to pay for actual education -- L.A.’s schools might be sitting pretty now.

Instead, Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines says that some existing schools might have to be closed even as the district is in the midst of an expansive building program. He’s also looking at combining small schools into larger ones that can share principals, support staff and security. The district imprudently hired more staff each year, he said, even as enrollment, its main source of revenue, declined. While some other school districts have set aside enough reserves to save them from the most dire cuts, L.A. Unified has spent money it didn’t have.

To their credit, board members had student achievement and welfare in mind when they embarked on offering more services to impoverished children and opening small schools that create a more personalized feel on campus. But they have been too quick to forge full steam ahead on new educational trends without fully assessing them, as well as making sure there’s enough money to carry them out. This comes on top of simple, inexcusable waste, such as the district’s underenrolled preschools, with too few children to bring in maximum state revenue as families languish on waiting lists for preschool spots.

We hope, along with educators, that schools will be spared from the worst of the state budget cuts. But wishing is no substitute for planning. It’s imperative that L.A. Unified learn to use money more judiciously and that it focus on its core mission at a time when it may not be able to afford much else. No one wants to see the district learn the lesson of fiscal responsibility at the expense of students and teachers.