Your Turn to Ask the Questions

The Los Angeles public schools are in trouble. Test scores are down. Bilingual education is flagging. Campuses are too crowded, too hot, too old or too dilapidated. What will it take to fix what is wrong inside and outside of the classroom? The three finalists in the contest to become the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District are scheduled to meet the public and lay out their ideas this Saturday and Sunday at high school campuses in the San Fernando Valley and Southwest Los Angeles and on the Eastside. This rare opportunity for the public to take part in the process should not be wasted.

Parents, students, teachers, employers--anyone who cares about the quality of public schools--should attend these question-and-answer sessions. A thorough airing of issues will help both the candidates and the schools.

The sessions are scheduled at Birmingham High School, 17000 Haynes St. in Van Nuys, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday; at Dorsey High School, 3537 Farmdale Ave. in the Crenshaw district, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and at Roosevelt High School, 456 S. Matthews St. in Boyle Heights, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Not a seat should be empty.

Can Daniel Domenech, a New York state school district administrator, boost student achievement in Los Angeles as he did on Long Island?

Can William Siart, former CEO of First Interstate Bancorp, capitalize on his business experience to change the culture and dynamics of the huge and complex LAUSD?

Is the best candidate Ruben Zacarias, deputy LAUSD superintendent and a veteran of 30 years in the district, with an insider’s knowledge of the situation?

The three candidates were chosen in a nationwide search ordered by the school board. The board’s final decision is expected next month. Board members were not required to arrange this weekend’s public scrutiny of the finalists, but under persuasion from school reformers the board wisely decided to open the process. Now it is the turn of the public to act. Its role in the process will help complete a thorough examination of the candidates and set up this most important decision for the future of Los Angeles schools.