LEARN Begins Community Meetings on Its Proposal to Improve Schools

A coalition of business, civic and education leaders bent on overhauling the Los Angeles Unified School District began a series of community meetings this week to build public support for its plan.

The Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN) on Tuesday held the first of eight sessions to air details of the proposal, answer questions and solicit comments from parents and others interested in improving local schools.

LEARN’s plan, which would give schools more autonomy in working to improve student achievement, is on a collision course with an effort to dismantle the 640,000-student district by carving it into at least seven smaller districts. Officials expect the LEARN plan to come before the Los Angeles school board for approval in March.

The community forums continue through March 3. All meetings will be from 6:45 to 9 p.m. The schedule:

Tonight at Audubon Middle School, 4120 11th Ave., Los Angeles; Thursday at Wilson High School, 4500 Multnomah St., Los Angeles; Monday at San Fernando Middle School, 130 N. Brand Blvd., San Fernando; Feb. 25 at Narbonne High School, 24300 S. Western Ave., Harbor City; March 1 at South Gate Middle School, 4100 Firestone Blvd., South Gate; March 2 at Birmingham High School, 17000 Haynes St., Van Nuys; and March 3 at Castle Heights Elementary School, 9755 Cattaraugus Ave., Los Angeles.