L.A. Schools Breakup Bill Hits a Delay

The University of California affirmative action debate preempted another hot clash Thursday as state senators scheduled to take up a Los Angeles school system breakup bill traveled to the Bay Area to attend the UC regents meeting.

Their absence postponed a potentially contentious tussle over a bill by Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills) that would make it easier for voters to someday decide whether to split up the huge Los Angeles Unified School District.

For decades, disenchanted parents have sought such a measure to help long-stymied efforts to dismantle the embattled district, which they view as too big to do an adequate job in the classroom.

Legislators will probably take up the Boland measure today when the Senate reconvenes.

Joining other state lawmakers making presentations to the regents was Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), the primary Senate advocate for the Boland bill. Hayden urged regents to examine the “downsizing” of higher education in California, which has seen enrollment drop as fees have risen.

Hayden is expected to lead the Senate floor charge for the Boland bill today amid opposing arguments that the legislation is unconstitutional because it singles out the Los Angeles district.

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The bill lowers the threshold of petition signatures needed to qualify the breakup issue for the ballot. It also wipes out the school board’s power to veto a reorganization proposal.

School district attorneys contend that the legislation, AB 107, is ripe for a constitutional challenge because it treats the Los Angeles district differently from other school systems. Supporters of the bill, however, say the Education Code already contains plenty of laws targeting the large, urban district.

One of the bill’s chief Senate opponents is Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), a staunch critic of suburban efforts to bail out of the district. Watson contends that splitting up the school system would leave its urban core with fewer resources.

Separate legislation by Hayden seeks to ensure that all districts comply with court-ordered protections guaranteeing funding and racial equities in public schools.

That bill, SB 699, is awaiting a vote by the full Assembly and is linked to the Boland bill. Neither will go into effect if the other fails to pass the Legislature.