Thompson Asks for Decision on His Job : Education: Schools chief wants to know if post will become permanent. Board had planned a national search.

Los Angeles school district Supt. Sid Thompson, whose contract expires June 30, has urged the school board to decide whether he is to be the permanent schools chief, prompting debate among board members about whether to make good on a promise to conduct a national search.

School board President Leticia Quezada said Monday that the board will make a decision by May 1. She said there “is not real clear direction yet” among board members on the issue and that additional talks must take place, including seeking input from community leaders.

The question of who will lead the nation’s second-largest school system comes as the district embarks on a historic reform plan and is facing deep financial problems, labor discontent and a drive to break it apart.

The superintendent issue also stands to be highly sensitive because of racial politics. When Thompson, who is African-American, was named to fill the void left by the sudden resignation of Bill Anton last year, a number of influential Latino groups launched an intense campaign to name Deputy Supt. Ruben Zacarias to the post.

Thompson said in an interview that he raised the issue of his appointment about two weeks ago during a private board meeting. The board has discussed the issue at least twice in closed sessions.

“I’d like to know as soon as possible because there are a lot of plans we need to make,” Thompson said. “I have left it in their hands, and I said I am not breaking their arm on the issue. . . . They have a lot of hard choices to make and I respect that.”

The 61-year-old former high school principal, whose annual salary is $140,000, said he not only wants to plan for his future but needs a strong vote of confidence as he embarks on a difficult budget-cutting process and other major projects, such as the LEARN reform plan. “We need to consider how we are going to address those issues and who is going to address them as soon as possible,” Thompson said.

Board members have declined to publicly discuss their deliberations. However, at least two--Barbara Boudreaux and Roberta Weintraub--have said that they favor extending Thompson’s contract. Both believe that the district needs stability and are confident Thompson can guide the giant system with a strong hand.

Board member Mark Slavkin has said he favors undertaking a search. Other board members have declined to comment.

Quezada earlier expressed interest in recruiting New York City public schools chief Joseph Fernandez, who is leaving his post June 30. But Fernandez is not interested in the Los Angeles job, his spokesman said Monday, and is seeking a national post dealing with school reform.

Two executive headhunters who specialize in school superintendents said the nation’s three largest urban school districts--New York, Chicago and Los Angeles--all have openings. It typically takes two to six months and at least $25,000 to conduct a national search for the hard-to-fill posts.

Zacarias, who is Latino and speaks Spanish, said that it is premature to announce whether he is interested in the post because the board is undecided. A coalition of influential Latino politicians and organizations pushed for Zacarias’ appointment last year, arguing that a bilingual, bicultural leader was needed to serve a district whose student body is 64% Latino.

Thompson and Zacarias, who holds the No. 2 job in the district, said Monday they do not want racial politics to further divide the troubled district.