New Study Could Lead to More Minorities in 15 L.A. Schools

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Monday approved initiation of a study that could lead to an increase in minority students at 15 campuses--including 10 in the San Fernando Valley--next fall.

In the next two months, surveys will be conducted of parents and faculty at each school to determine if they believe the school district would be creating segregated campuses if ethnic ratios were changed to allow enrollments of 70% minority students and 30% white students.

The district operates under court-approved desegregation guidelines of 60% minority students to 40% white students at most of its 618 schools. But in the past two years, 76 schools--53 of them in the Valley--have had their ethnic ratios changed to 70% minority and 30% white.

Changing the ethnic composition at the 15 schools would allow the district to move more minority students from overcrowded campuses to less crowded ones in the West Valley and in West Los Angeles.

“Without a change . . . the additional space would not be available,” according to a school district staff report.

In January, the board defeated a similar proposal to study the ethnic composition at 27 schools. At that time, debate on the issue was long and heated. Board members finally abandoned the proposal after they could not agree on a list of schools to study.

On Monday, however, the discussion was brief and calm. Five of the seven board members voted for the study, with West Valley representative Julie Korenstein voting no and East Valley representative Roberta Weintraub absent.

In addition to studying the 15 schools, the board approved reviewing the ethnic makeup at an additional 49 campuses, 33 of which are in the Valley, beginning in September. That study, scheduled to be completed in February, 1989, will also seek the opinions of faculty and parents at each school on a 70%-30% ratio.

Some schools in this group could be deleted from the study, however, if enrollment statistics taken next fall show dramatic shifts in white attendance, according to the staff report.

Surveys of the 15 schools are scheduled to be completed by June. The results will be reported to the board, which will vote campus-by-campus on whether to change each of the ratios. Any changes in ethnic makeup would become effective in September.

Valley schools to be considered for changes in their ethnic ratios next fall are: Bertrand Avenue Elementary in Reseda; Burbank Boulevard, Rio Vista and Toluca Lake elementary schools and Reed Junior High School in North Hollywood; Andasol Avenue Elementary in Northridge; Harding Street Elementary in Sylmar; Lassen Elementary in Sepulveda, Limerick Avenue Elementary in Canoga Park and Canoga Park High School.

Other schools to be considered for ethnic-ratio changes next fall are: Chapman Elementary in Gardena, Dana Junior High in San Pedro, Brockton Avenue Elementary in West Los Angeles, and Laurel and Rosewood elementary schools in Hollywood.