Schools’ PR Consultant Also Aiding Breakup Bid : Education: Man hired to promote district’s image is assisting backers of separate Valley systems, raising concerns.

A public relations consultant hired five months ago by the Los Angeles school district to promote the image of city schools is spending some of his time gathering information for a San Fernando Valley group seeking to dismantle the district because of its problems.

Bill Borellis, owner of a consulting firm, is providing key assistance to a fledgling campaign by the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley to dismantle the Los Angeles Unified School District.

This week, Borellis provided the Valley business group with school enrollment, busing and other district information considered essential for creation of plans for separate Valley school districts. He also introduced the group to a lawyer and a public policy consultant, who are both seeking work in the breakup campaign.

“I don’t see a conflict,” said Borellis, who is paid nearly $28 an hour by the district to tout programs and achievements of city schools to members of the Los Angeles business community. He said he charged the district for attending a chamber meeting on the breakup this week.

But Borellis’ dual role is raising concerns.

“It certainly seems he has a conflict of interest,” United Teachers-Los Angeles President Helen Bernstein said. “It’s weird but nothing surprises me.”

Breakup advocates say Borellis’ apparently contradictory roles are another example of the district’s mismanagement that they say has resulted in low academic achievement and an approximately 44% dropout rate.

School district officials say Borellis’ work is intended to persuade Valley business people to donate time and money for public schools. That job requires providing groups with information, even if for purposes of breaking up the school system, district spokesman Bill Rivera said.

“He’s doing no differently than what I would do,” Rivera said. “If people need information, we’ll provide it.”

As far as his work in support of the breakup campaign, Rivera said, “He’s a citizen--he doesn’t give up his rights when he comes to work for the district.”

Board of Education President Mark Slavkin, upon hearing of Borellis’ outside activities, agreed there probably is not much he can do about it now. But he said, “We wouldn’t want to see district employees spending their days planning breakup campaigns.”

The school board will meet soon to determine the board’s policy on breakup movements emerging in the Valley, South-Central Los Angeles and Southeast Los Angeles, including restrictions on breakup work. “We’ll expect district employees on district time to abide by that,” Slavkin said.

Borellis is assigned to the district’s communications director. His job description--calling for him to work no more than 79 hours a month--calls for forging “a better understanding” of district policies and procedures among the public and improve community relations.

He was hired in March by Rivera, who said he was impressed with Borellis’ experience as a trustee in the district’s LEARN reform program and as a leader in the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce. The Woodland Hills chamber named Borellis as the group’s small-businessman of the year, and he serves on the boards of several community organizations.

Daniel Romey, president of the Woodland Hills chamber, said his group will soon vote on whether to support the breakup. And Borellis has promised to provide the group with all the information it needs to make its decision.

Borellis, who lives in Sherman Oaks, brought Supt. Sid Thompson to the United Chambers meeting two weeks ago. Thompson at that time unveiled the district’s new strategy to cooperate with the breakup forces and provide information to all sides in the debate.

Of the breakup movement, Borellis said, “I say explore the possibilities and weigh it after that. . . . The outcomes have to benefit all kids.”

* MAYORAL MOVE: Plan offered for coordinating breakup effort. A1