CSU Will Pursue Bid for Science, Math Unit

Despite objections by the Los Angeles and Compton school districts, California State University will seek to open a special math and science high school on the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus with the Long Beach Unified School District as its partner, CSU officials said Tuesday.

Cal State officials said that concerns raised last week by the Compton and Los Angeles school districts had jeopardized a funding proposal for the school, which is intended to serve primarily minority youngsters. Los Angeles Unified had co-sponsored the project until last week, when it learned of Compton’s opposition.

But the Long Beach Board of Education agreed Monday to step in as co-sponsor, enabling the university to meet an April 13 deadline to apply for $400,000 in state money to plan the school, district and CSU officials said.

Seeking Funds

Lee Kerschner, CSU vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the university hopes it can resolve its differences with the Compton school district. But “in the meantime, the important thing is we have the authority to submit the proposal” for state planning funds, he said.

Long Beach, as the sponsoring school district, would run the special school, said Yolanda Moses, Cal State Dominguez Hills vice president for academic affairs.

Compton’s superintendent and Board of Education oppose the school because they fear it would drain away top students from the district’s shrinking high school population. The proposed location on the Cal State Dominguez Hills campus is in the Compton district, and Compton officials say the district has the legal right to block the establishment of a new school within its boundaries.

“I find it somewhat strange that no one asked Compton if it would be the co-sponsor and governing authority of the school,” Compton Supt. Ted Kimbrough said Tuesday. “It is very strange to ask Los Angeles and to ask Long Beach but not the school district where you are establishing the school.”

Kimbrough said he would prefer to see the university throw its support behind an existing high school, such as Compton’s Dominguez High, where the district established a special school-wide math and science program last fall. Compton officials say the Cal State school would compete directly with Dominguez High’s program.

Moses said Los Angeles Unified had been the university’s first choice as co-sponsor because, with 590,000 students, it is the largest and most diverse district in Los Angeles County. Long Beach, with about 65,000 students, is the county’s second largest.

CSU officials say their school would be open to any high school student in the county and would draw no more than two or three students from each campus.