Support for New District in Lomita

Isn’t it ironic that the most recently organized community effort within the South Bay dedicated to improving the educational opportunities of our students is being opposed by the very person in state government who is most responsible for promoting better public education?

State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig’s recommendation that Lomita not be permitted to vote on the proposal for forming its own school district is reportedly based upon the possible effect it would have on the Los Angeles Unified School District. This reasoning is absurd because (1) the school-age population of Lomita is insignificant when compared to the vast size of the Los Angeles district, and (2) one of the major faults of the Los Angeles district is that it is too large.

If Honig truly wants to improve public education in California, he should encourage breaking up the Los Angeles district into numerous smaller, more easily managed districts so that local controls can be instituted within these independent districts and the huge bureaucracy can be eliminated.

Let’s hope that the State Board of Education has a better appreciation for the need to break away from the Los Angeles district in order to improve the quality of public education for Lomita’s students.

M. DEAN BRIGGS

Lomita