LAUSD Reform

* Your wishful editorial, “A Watershed Moment Is Here for the Public Schools of L.A.” (June 30), communicates a naive and simple-minded notion that a new superintendent, a new board president and a new union leader can accomplish great change. Come, come, now.

You readily admit to the existence of an unresponsive bureaucracy with an institutional culture difficult to change. And as for any new union leader who will allow teachers to be held to performance standards that demand higher student achievement, refusing to accept failure without consequences, come on. Your words are noble and grand but hardly realistic.

What you are really speaking about is much smaller and readily accountable community-based districts. Can you imagine any such small district that would voluntarily want to contract its overhead services with the downtown bureaucracy on a competitive basis?

JAMES HARDIE

Rancho Palos Verdes