District Launches Plan to Boost Student Performance

In an effort to boost student achievement, Los Angeles school officials are assigning nearly 100 additional administrators to campuses beginning this month, part of a plan assailed by critics as expanding an already bloated educational bureaucracy.

Under the new setup, the Los Angeles Unified School District will add three assistant superintendents who will be responsible for improving classroom instruction.

The changes do not cost any money. But critics questioned how creating a new layer of bureaucrats will improve student achievement. “It seems to be very clear the last priority is the school,” said Day Higuchi, head of United Teachers-Los Angeles.

The new assistant superintendents will each oversee one-third of the district’s 27 so-called cluster administrators--who each supervise dozens of city schools.

Deputy Supt. Liliam Castillo said the reorganization will bring additional resources to classrooms. She said 90 administrators now working downtown and in administrative offices will begin working out of schools next year--advising teachers, for example, in special education and language arts.