With Union OK, 27 Schools Get Set for Autonomous Operation

The leaders of United Teachers-Los Angeles voted 7 to 0 Friday to approve the proposals of 27 schools seeking to operate autonomously, giving them the go-ahead to become the first to restructure under the Los Angeles Unified School District’s school-based management program.

The teachers union’s decision follows a 6-1 school board vote of approval on Monday, and gives the schools two weeks to change schedules, set up additional classes and introduce new programs by the start of school on Sept. 11.

“We’ve got our planning done and we’re ready to go,” said Debbie Leidner, principal at Marshall High, one of the 27 schools. “We’ll send home letters to parents about a week before school starts letting them know exactly what’s going on, but we’ve been planning for this all summer. We expect the opening to be smooth.”

In granting approval, the union leaders and school board agreed to waive contract requirements and district policies governing the schools, allowing them to operate free from traditional restrictions.

In response to concerns that the plans failed to adequately address student achievement--which is at the heart of the concept of local school control--the school board also added a requirement that the schools set specific student achievement goals and submit plans to measure student performance.

Some schools still need waivers from the state to implement portions of their plans--such as changes in curriculum, attendance and graduation requirements--and decisions on those waiver requests could take several months.

But they are now free to begin making other changes. Some will set up “peer review” programs, taking the task of evaluating teachers out of the hands of principals. Others will let parents help interview and hire new teachers. Others will add programs, such as tutoring and study skills classes, and lengthen or shorten their school days.

Most administrators agree that their schools will not be radically different when school starts next month. Many will spend the coming semester ironing out details in their proposals and spreading the word in the community before putting the plans into place next spring.

“We’re trying to do about 40 things before school starts, and I know we won’t have all of our program ready to go,” said Jefferson High Principal Frank Saldivia.

“One thing we want to do is begin school at a later time and allow students to attend later in the day, but it wouldn’t be fair to the teachers or the students to introduce that so quickly, without giving people time to make arrangements with their families and all. That’s something we’ll have to hold off on until the spring semester,” Saldivia said.

At 4th Street Elementary, a year-round school, Principal May Arakaki plans to introduce a new schedule when the next group of new students enters school at the end of September. Children will then start class 15 minutes earlier each day, and leave school early one day a week, giving teachers time to hold meetings or prepare lesson plans.

“The parents have known about this for a while, but we know it will take some adjustments,” Arakaki said. “There will be some baby-sitting problems and that kind of thing, but we’re working with our parents and trying to straighten those out. People are pretty excited about the plan and that helps.”

Since parents, teachers and school staffs participated in drawing the plans, most school principals say they expect to encounter little community opposition to the changes this fall.

The 27 schools were among 70 that volunteered last spring to be the first in the district to embark on the school-based management experiment, which aims to raise student achievement by allowing local schools more flexibility.

The remaining schools are expected to submit their restructuring plans in October and begin making changes next spring.

Ultimately, all 600 of the district’s schools will be run by locally elected councils, including teachers, parents, principals and community residents. The power-sharing plan began last year, a product of the settlement of the nine-day teachers strike.

Currently, elected councils at all the district’s schools have limited decision-making power. Now, schools will be able to implement their own programs.

The 27 schools with approved restructuring plans are: 32nd Street Elementary/USC Magnet, Los Angeles; Aggeler High, Chatsworth; Allesandro Elementary, Silver Lake; Anatola Avenue Elementary, Van Nuys; Chatsworth High, Chatsworth; Emelita Street Elementary, Encino; James A. Foshay Junior High, Los Angeles; 4th Street Elementary, Los Angeles; Grant High, Van Nuys; Jefferson High, Los Angeles; Loyola Village Elementary/Fine and Performing Arts Magnet, Los Angeles; Manual Arts High, Los Angeles; Marlton Special Education School, Los Angeles; Marquez Elementary, Pacific Palisades; Marshall High, Los Feliz/Silver Lake; Melvin Avenue Elementary, Reseda; Monroe High, Sepulveda; Olive Vista Junior High, Sylmar; Portola Junior High, Tarzana; Paul Revere Junior High, West Los Angeles; San Pedro High, San Pedro; Santa Monica Boulevard Elementary, Hollywood; Soto Street Elementary, East Los Angeles; Sutter Junior High, Canoga Park; Van Nuys High, Van Nuys; Westchester High, Westchester; Westwood Elementary, Westwood.