Schools Chief Talks Continue

The Los Angeles Board of Education returns to closed session this morning to discuss who should be the next superintendent of the massive school system. It remains uncertain whether the seven-member board will reach a decision today.

Going into their first closed-door meeting on the subject Wednesday, at least three board members had said they were prepared to vote for Deputy Supt. Ruben Zacarias.

But increasingly, board members are also saying they need time to mull over management restructuring options as well as the relative strengths of the other two finalists, banker William E.B. Siart and Long Island regional Supt. Daniel Domenech of New York.

Some board members’ notion of perhaps recruiting one of the losers in a secondary job fell apart Wednesday when Siart echoed Domenech’s words of the day before. Siart said he would not be interested in anything other than the superintendent’s position. Zacarias was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

“It’s no negative reaction to Ruben or to Dan, really, it’s that the No. 1 person is the one that makes the decisions, sets the direction, and is responsible,” Siart said. “I’ve been No. 2 before. . . . I have no interest in that job.”

Although there was some optimism Wednesday that a decision could be made today, delays could be caused by board President Jeff Horton’s desire for a unanimous vote.

The board has spent the past year looking for a replacement for Supt. Sid Thompson, who plans to step down at the end of June.