Slavkin Sets Lofty Goals as Leader of L.A. School Board : Education: He aims at quick contract settlement with teachers and repairs to quake-damaged schools. A union leader says the role will make or break his future.

In his first speech Monday as the new president of the Los Angeles Board of Education, Mark Slavkin set some lofty goals 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.

Slavkin, a graduate of Los Angeles public schools, is nothing if not a politician. Raised in a family of political activists, he is a former political aide who was elected to the school board in an upset victory over an incumbent in 1989. He co-chaired a statewide campaign to enlist student support for the Carter-Mondale presidential ticket at the age of 18.

After placing a humiliating fourth in a bid for the Democratic nomination to the state Assembly 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 unanimously to the largely ceremonial position at a brief board meeting Monday morning attended by his parents, his wife and his two children.

The one-year term, which pays the same $24,000 board salary, could have 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 to be the youngest board president at 32, takes over from Leticia Quezada, the first Latina to hold the job. Quezada’s formal style and strained relations with the powerful teachers union contrasts starkly with Slavkin’s more easygoing, 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 point man, a potentially touchy job as Supt. Sid Thompson and the board push reforms on the schools. At the same time, he represents what may be the district’s most vocal parents.

Forty percent of the voters Slavkin’s board district, which stretches from Porter Ranch in the northwest Valley to the Los Angeles International Airport in Westchester, live north of Mulholland Drive. While Quezada had a small piece of the Valley, Slavkin is the first board president to represent a sizable portion of the area since former board member Roberta Weintraub held the job in 1988 and 1989.

Last year’s effort to break up the massive school system was centered there. Thousands of parents 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 the area also sustained the most damage from the Jan. 17 earthquake.

With his elevation to board president, Slavkin says the Valley will continue to get his attention. “By the nature of my district, I have that perspective,” said Slavkin, who lives in West Los Angeles. “The people I represent call and write and meet with me. I’m well aware of their concerns.”

And he will be watched. “We will continue to invite him to meetings, offer our advice to him,” said Harriet Sculley, president of the 31st District Parent Teacher Student Assn., which covers the Valley. “It’s a prestigious position and we will make an effort to keep in touch with him.”

Board member Julie Korenstein, whose district makes up a large portion of the Valley, said she believes Slavkin will be “spread thin” and hopes he will be able to maintain his efforts to serve the Valley.

“I know it’s going to be tough,” Korenstein said. “It’s always a greater responsibility being board president, and his district is so large. It’s a tough district to take care of. I hope he’ll be able to succeed.”

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 for him and contributed to his first election in 1989, 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 the 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 would welcome a good, fair offer to teachers before school begins.

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