Board Adds 2 Features to Aid Valley Schools in Budget Plan

Plans to turn a closed West San Fernando Valley school into a campus for severely handicapped students and to include three East Valley schools in a pilot dropout prevention program were added Monday to the Los Angeles school district’s proposed 1985-1986 budget.

The school board will begin final deliberations next week on the proposals to convert Rhoda Street Elementary School in Encino into the Valley Special Education Center and to add San Fernando High School and a nearby junior high and elementary school to a $1-million dropout prevention program.

When the pilot program was unveiled last week, 21 inner-city schools were included, leading East Valley representative Roberta Weintraub to ask why no Valley schools were in the program. The program would emphasize identifying and giving extra help to potential dropouts in the lower grades. It would also stress counseling high school students on how to combine traditional class work with night school or occupational training.

Survey on Dropouts

According to a district survey, San Fernando High, with 56% of its 1981 sophomore class failing to graduate, had the district’s fifth-highest attrition rate, and Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley had the district’s 16th-highest attrition rate with 47.8%.

The board delayed approving the funds for the original 21 schools until the district staff explains how the schools were selected.

The board may vote on the funding for the original 21 schools Monday, with a vote on the addition of the three Valley schools expected when the budget is approved.

The possible use of Rhoda Elementary was described by Phillip Callison, the district’s assistant superintendent for special education. He told the board, which has been trying to find alternative uses for the 19 West Valley schools closed because of declining enrollment, that the buildings could be modified to accommodate about 190 handicapped students by January, 1986.

One reason Rhoda, which was closed in 1984, was chosen is its flat campus, which would be easily accessible for severely handicapped pupils.

Many of the students who would attend the new special education center are enrolled at the East Valley Special Education School. Callison said it would cost the district less to modify the Rhoda campus--about $405,000--than it would to fix up the East Valley campus.