Bend the Rules Just a Little

The fate of more than 850 troubled youths, pulled off the streets and back to school by the Soledad Enrichment Action programs, is now in jeopardy. The governor’s office and its Department of Education, as well as the Los Angeles County Board of Education and the L.A. County teachers union, should find a way to help the organization (SEA) reopen its 16 alternative schools, shut down due to minor and unintended violations.

Brother Modesto Leon of the Claretian order, executive director of the schools and SEA’s equally successful job training, parenting and child counseling programs, is seeking reinstated funding for the system of centers, which stretches from Visalia to Buena Park.

SEA is a public nonprofit organization whose efforts have helped youths find paths out of high-risk environments. They and their families are given educational alternatives to delinquent behavior. The 24-year-old effort of Leon and SEA has been widely praised, but now the programs have been shut down on the grounds the teachers were not county employees.

Leon admits he has been using lower-cost, private-sector teachers but claims he was never told that was forbidden under state funding rules. Now there is a big problem: At least 500 SEA participants are suddenly back on the streets.

The best long-term solution for SEA would be independent charter status. That would allow the schools to operate free of some local and state restrictions. But that cannot happen overnight. The county should help Leon solve the teacher problem and keep these young men and women in the programs. State Supt. of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin has expressed her support for the SEA efforts. So has Gov. Pete Wilson. Brother Modesto Leon does not want to break the rules. Just make them work for a worthwhile program.