Board Fills Seat, Alters Ethnic Ratio in 28 Schools

Voting for what they called a known quantity, the Los Angeles Board of Education Monday appointed former board member Tom Bartman to temporarily fill the West Valley seat vacated last month when David Armor resigned.

The board also voted to permit 28 schools, mostly in the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, to raise their percentage of minority students to 70% and let their white enrollment drop to 30%. The previous standard for what was considered an “integrated” school was 60% minority and 40% white.

The purpose of the change, which the board had considered for several months, is to provide space in the 28 schools for minority students from more crowded campuses in Central and Eastside Los Angeles. The board regarded an increase in the percentage of minorities at some schools as a partial remedy to overcrowding that would postpone the need to place the entire district on a year-round calendar.

1 Reason for Appointment

Bartman’s record for being able to make tough decisions such as the one to change ethnic ratios was one reason board members gave for backing his appointment.

“He has made some very difficult decisions for the West Valley, and when it comes to biting the bullet he has shown not only integrity in representing children in the West Valley, but integrity in representing all the children in this city,” board member Larry Gonzalez said.

“We know him and we know his effectiveness,” John Greenwood added. “In many ways this is a godsend not to have to wait for someone to gear up for the job.”

Bartman, 40, was one of 33 West Valley residents to seek the appointment to serve 13 months of the remaining three years in the unexpired term. In June, 1987, a special election that will coincide with regularly scheduled municipal elections will be held to fill the remaining two years in the term.

The board voted 5 to 1 in favor of Bartman’s appointment. Jackie Goldberg was the only member to vote for Elizabeth Ginsburg, a former high school government teacher who finished second behind Armor in last year’s election.

Served for 5 Years

Bartman first rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the attorney for Bustop, the anti-mandatory busing group founded by Rep. Bobbi Fiedler. He served on the board for five years before deciding last year not to run for reelection. In his application for the appointment, Bartman stressed his ability to immediately tackle issues facing the board.

“I am generally aware of the difficult decisions facing the board over the next year. I believe that my familiarity with the district would allow me to fully participate in these decisions without having to suffer the costs of delaying crucial decisions in order to give a new member an opportunity to become familiar with the complex issues,” Bartman said.

He also promised not to run for election in 1987, a point that was particularly important to a majority of the board members, who said they did not want the appointee to use the position as an advantage in the special election.

On the proposal to allow the increased minority enrollment, the vote was 4 to 1, with one abstention. The new policy would go into effect this fall.

Conflicting Pressures

The decision to alter the minority ratios illustrated the conflicting pressures placed on the district by its two largest problems--overcrowding and segregation.

In an effort to meet court-ordered desegregation goals, the district now tries to maintain a 60% minority-40% white balance at most of its schools. Although the new 70-30 ratios have not been approved by any court, the district plans to implement them because the alternative is to force more schools to switch to all-year sessions to alleviate overcrowding.

“It is simply unrealistic to maintain a 60%-40% ratio with the diversity we have and the overcrowding we have,” board President Rita Walters said.

Westside representative Alan Gershman, who cast the only dissenting vote, disagreed. He said there are still legitimate questions on whether creating a 70% minority school by board action amounted to intentional segregation.

Expressed Reservations

Roberta Weintraub, who abstained from voting, also expressed reservations about changing the ratio. However, the board voted to go ahead with plans to study converting an additional 42 schools to a 70-30 ratio.

The 28 schools affected by the change in ratio approved Monday are:

High schools: Kennedy in Granada Hills, Monroe in Sepulveda, and Sylmar.

Junior high schools: Columbus in Canoga Park, Holmes in Northridge, Madison in North Hollywood, Mulholland in Van Nuys, Porter in Granada Hills and Sutter in Canoga Park.

Elementary schools: Anatola in Van Nuys, Beckford in Northridge, Beethoven in West Los Angeles, Coeur D’Alene in Venice, El Oro Way in Granada Hills, Halldale in Torrance, Hancock Park in Los Angeles, Hubbard in Sylmar, Kester in Van Nuys, Knollwood in Granada Hills, Melrose in Los Angeles, Mt. View in Tujunga, Pinewood in Tujunga, Ranchito in Panorama City, San Jose in Mission Hills, Saticoy in North Hollywood, Valley View in Los Angeles, Walgrove in West Los Angeles and Westport Heights near Westchester.