Education: Efforts to Revive Compton District

On Feb. 1, 1994, Dr. J. Jerome Harris, the new state-appointed administrator for the Compton Unified School District came aboard. I think we owe it to our children to give Dr. Harris an opportunity to implement a system to complete the efforts already begun to revive the Compton Unified School District.

The school district is on a long but optimistic road to recovery. Although it has been only months since the state intervened to save the district from financial and academic ruin, there have been significant improvements. To reduce expenditures, there have been major reductions in a previously top-heavy management staff. And serious efforts have been made to discover other cost-reducing solutions as well. Salary and hiring freezes have been imposed. Some projects have been trimmed while others have been postponed in order to lessen the adverse affects of budget cutbacks and the risk of more staff reductions. Other budget-reduction measures include cuts in management salaries, monitoring of overtime, elimination of outside printing, and the postponement or cancellation of capital expenditures.

Simultaneously, there are a number of areas being tapped for revenue. Under an agreement signed by the school district with the city of Compton and Compton Community College, the district will receive 30% or approximately $30 million over the next 40 years from the city’s Redevelopment Agency.

Another possible resource is district property. A study is underway to determine whether the district might benefit from the consolidation, lease and/or sale of some of its properties. It is important to point out that all revenue collected from the use of district property is mandated by law to be used for the rehabilitation and renovation of school sites. Monies are not to be funneled to the state through some conspiracy as frequently implied by a certain Compton school board member. Also, the district has been paying large tax penalties for vacant property at which building projects were never started. This is a tremendous waste of money--the kind of thing any competent board would have rectified.

We have received numerous calls from parents and other community supporters thanking us for our intervention. In fact, the Jan. 25 edition of the Wave Newspaper quotes Alyce Bennett, a violence prevention counselor for numerous Compton elementary and middle schools as having said, “We created this situation. The state never would have come in if we didn’t allow our school standards to slide.” In the same article, Acting Supt. Harold Cebrun agreed, stating, “We allowed ourselves to become so weak the state had to come into the district.” Also, the students I have spoken with are grateful for our help and now believe there is once again hope that they might have a chance at a quality education.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my efforts to rescue our children. The students, after all, must be our first priority.

WILLARD H. MURRAY Jr.

Assemblyman