3 Forums Planned for Schools Chief Hopefuls

The three finalists for the top spot in the Los Angeles Unified School District will participate in three public forums this weekend, including one Saturday at Birmingham High School.

The candidates for superintendent of schools are Daniel Domenech, a New York state district administrator, William Siart, a former banking executive, and Ruben Zacarias, current LAUSD deputy superintendent.

The forums will give the public an opportunity to learn about the candidates’ backgrounds and hear them discuss their vision for public education in Los Angeles, officials said.

After a yearlong process, the three were selected as finalists by the school board on April 10. The board is expected to name a replacement within a month for Supt. Sid Thompson, who will step down in June.

The Birmingham forum, which will be held in the school gymnasium, is one of three similar events scheduled this weekend in the district. The other forums will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Dorsey High School in southwest Los Angeles, and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles.

KTLA-TV broadcaster Ray Gonzalez will moderate the forum at Birmingham. Each candidate will be allotted 30 minutes to make his presentation, after which they will answer questions selected randomly from the audience, officials said.

The district will provide audio translation headsets for those who speak Spanish, Armenian, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.

Birmingham is at 17000 Haynes St. in Van Nuys. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis and the doors of the gymnasium are scheduled to open at 10:30 a.m, a half hour before the forum begins.

The forums will also be televised on KLCS-TV (Channel 58) Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m.