SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : 5 Schools Move Nearer Autonomy

Five San Fernando Valley schools are a step closer to achieving increased autonomy from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The five campuses are among 14 poised to move into the second phase of the groundbreaking “school-based management” plan, a three-step restructuring designed by the district and the teachers union to give schools greater decision-making powers. If their applications are approved by the Board of Education and the union next month, the schools will gain more control over their budgets and curricula.

The school board and the teachers union began reviewing the applications Monday. Each school was required to submit a proposal outlining ideas from parents, teachers and administrators. The proposals are usually accepted for a three-year period.

Nearly 80 schools throughout the district have already moved into the second phase of school-based management. The five Valley schools awaiting approval are Carpenter Avenue, O’Melveny and Serrania Avenue elementary schools; the West Valley School, a special education campus, and William Howard Taft High School.