School Reform, Not War

Here are the words spoken by Mayor Richard Riordan that shook up the Los Angeles Unified School District board:

“You have seven members who are elected by district, who are more worried about their own ethnic group, their own districts . . . than they are about children. These are wannabe politicians. The minute they’re elected, they’re thinking about running for City Council or what have you. . . . They don’t have the mental equipment, the experience equipment, to run it right.”

Riordan could have made his criticism in a more sensitive and precise manner, but his overall frustration, shared by many, cannot be ignored. This part-time board is held hostage to a series of powerful political constituencies, especially the unions, and lacks the business experience to run what is essentially a $5-billion business. That said, what can the mayor and the board do together to improve the public schools?

School Board President Julie Korenstein, a 10-year veteran of the board, took the right tone in her response to the mayor: “Whether you agree with what we do or what we do not do, it seems to me that it would serve the children far better if you were to meet with us regularly where we would have the opportunity to communicate on what is best for the children of LAUSD.”

The children should come first. In too many instances, the needs of adults come first. The powerful teachers union that rightly advocates for better classroom conditions also pushed for a system that allows teachers to choose which class they will teach on the basis of seniority, instead of allowing principals to make these important assignments based on the needs of the children. And principals--who although management are, incredibly, also unionized--typically pay no price for poor administration, unless it’s a transfer to another unsuspecting school.

School board members are elected officials, just like the mayor, and as such must pay attention to constituents, whether they are unions that helped elect them or neighborhood activists who worry that one area’s gain will come at the expense of another. However, it’s the job of leaders to get folks to see beyond parochial interests.

Instead of taking personal offense at Mayor Riordan’s remarks, a reform-minded board and superintendent need to acknowledge and tackle the political problems that get in the way of educational progress. It’s the city’s worst-kept secret that competing constituencies--based in unions, ethnic and racial groups and neighborhoods--have the district in a stranglehold. Nepotism and cronyism within the district bureaucracy further protect the status quo. The seven-member board can be the ultimate personification of the problems or part of the solution. The members must choose, and then so must the voters.