School Board Moves Toward Ratifying Teachers Pact : Education: The action follows union’s threatened lawsuit over delay. The district says a worsening financial picture has complicated the ability to honor the contract.

The Los Angeles Board of Education moved toward formal ratification of its teachers contract Monday after union attorneys threatened to sue the district today if they continued to stall.

Supt. Sid Thompson said the board will present the document for a 10-day public review period that begins Thursday. After the 10 days, Los Angeles County schools Supt. Stuart Gothold must decide on the financial soundness of the contract, which will cost $36 million this year to restore 2% of a 12% teachers pay cut.

United Teachers-Los Angeles attorneys were prepared to go to court today to force the district to ratify the pact, which was overwhelmingly approved by teachers Feb. 26.

Top district officials have said their worsening financial picture has made paying for the deal more complicated. Struggling to find alternative funding, officials have appealed to Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), who forged the agreement, to make good on his promise to help fund the contract.

School board President Leticia Quezada said she also has asked for a legal opinion from acting state Supt. of Public Instruction William Dawson on whether the district needs a state waiver to use its emergency reserve and other restricted accounts to pay for the contract.

Thompson said he and other district officials will meet with Gothold this week to evaluate the district’s finances. Gothold, in a letter to Brown on Monday, said he would report the findings to him by Friday.