LOS ANGELES : Officials Urge Adding 103 Schools to LEARN Program

Despite criticism that administrative support is lagging for schools already involved in reform, Los Angeles Unified School District administrators Monday recommended approving 103 more applications for its LEARN program--an unprecedented increase for one year.

If the school board votes to accept all 103 campuses at its next meeting, it will cost the district at least $5 million to train school staffs to implement the reforms--a cost the district anticipates would be borne partly by private donors.

“We don’t want to make a commitment to schools that we can’t keep,” board President Mark Slavkin said. But, he added, finding ways to cope with such high interest in LEARN is “the kind of problem we’re delighted to have.”

There are currently 89 schools enrolled in the LEARN reform program, founded three years ago by a coalition of business, civic and education leaders.

An audit requested by the LEARN board earlier this year found that all schools studied had benefited from LEARN, but criticized the district for slowing reform by failing to foster essential leadership skills in principals and solve budgeting glitches.