Slavkin Elected Head of L.A. School Board

In his first speech as the new president of the Los Angeles Board of Education, Mark Slavkin set some lofty goals Monday that targeted all the right political groups in the massive school system.

He wants a speedy and fair contract settlement with the teachers and other employee unions. He wants the school system to be more accountable for student achievement and more responsive to parents. He wants the central bureaucracy streamlined and more efficient. He wants earthquake-damaged campuses quickly repaired in the West San Fernando Valley--an area he represents.

Raised in a family of political activists, Slavkin at age 18 co-chaired a statewide campaign to enlist student support for the Jimmy Carter-Walter Mondale ticket. While an aide to county Supervisor Ed Edelman, he was elected to the school board in an upset victory in 1989.

After placing a humbling fourth in a bid for the Democratic nomination to an Assembly seat last month, Slavkin turned his ambitions to the board presidency. He wanted it badly, his colleagues say, and worked behind the scenes to secure the votes.

He was elected to the largely ceremonial position on a unanimous vote at a brief board meeting Monday morning attended by his parents, his wife and his two children.

The one-year term, which pays the standard $24,000 board salary, could have some long-term political ramifications for Slavkin.

“I see it as a very important opportunity to bring my leadership skills to the district and to the board,” he said. “I am committed to serving this entire year as president of the board. I can’t imagine anything that will come up between now and then that will change that.”

United Teachers-Los Angeles President Helen Bernstein put it this way: “It is clear that taking over this role at this moment will define his future. He’ll either rise to the occasion or if he doesn’t, it could be the end of his political career.”

Slavkin, believed at 32 to be the youngest board president, takes over from Leticia Quezada, the first Latina to hold the job. Quezada’s formal style and strained relations with the powerful teachers union are in stark contrast to Slavkin’s more easy-going, self-confident approach.

Regarded as a quick study with a good grasp of the issues facing the school district, he takes over as the board’s chief front person, a potentially touchy job as Supt. Sid Thompson and the board push reforms on the schools. At the same time, Slavkin represents what may be the district’s most vocal sets of parents.

Slavkin’s district, which stretches from Porter Ranch in the northwest Valley to Los Angeles International Airport, includes hotbeds of parent activism in the northwest Valley and on the Westside. While Quezada had a small piece of the Valley, Slavkin is the first board president to represent a sizable chunk of the area since former board member Roberta Weintraub held the job in 1988-89.

Last year’s effort to break up the massive school system was centered in his area of the Valley. Thousands of parents there and on the Westside participated in the new open enrollment policy and still others have aggressively pushed for school calendar changes so students could avoid going to class during the hot summer months. Campuses in that area also sustained the most damage in the Jan. 17 quake.

With his election as board president, Slavkin says the Valley still will get his attention. “By the nature of my district, I have that perspective,” said Slavkin, who lives on the Westside. “The people I represent call and write and meet with me. I’m well aware of their concerns.”

Among his biggest and most immediate challenges will be contract negotiations. The teachers union is seeking restoration of a 10% pay cut imposed last year. Slavkin, who has enjoyed mostly favorable relations with the union since members campaigned and contributed to his first election, says he intends to ask that every account be reviewed to help restore employees’ salaries.

“You will certainly not hear me say: ‘There’s no money and we can’t do anything,’ ” Slavkin said. “The question will be how much and will it be acceptable.”

With a threat of a teachers strike vote looming, Slavkin said he hopes to have contract talks concluded by the beginning of the school year in September. He said he hopes to avoid the typically protracted, bitter contract disputes.

“All of that is very divisive and very damaging,” Slavkin said. “People are really tired of it. Employees are really tired. Parents are scared . . . there’s great anxiety and great frustration.”

Bernstein said she welcomes a good, fair offer to teachers before school begins.

“If Mark can get them (the board) organized and get their priorities straight, he could be a hero,” Bernstein said. “It’s a matter of will.”