Compton, State School Officials Seek Truce

After years of bitter fighting over control of Compton’s schools, officials from the city and the state Department of Education are trying to hammer out a detente.

Ever since the state took control of the bankrupt school system five years ago, city officials--in particular Mayor Omar Bradley--have offered scorching opposition to the takeover. State officials, in return, have accused Bradley and others of being more interested in scoring political points than in improving students’ welfare.

But recently, as the two sides have demonstrated a willingness to discuss issues, even Bradley has toned down his public criticism.

“I think we have both realized that it has been counterproductive to engage in a war of words in the press,” Bradley said. “We need to be focusing on the needs of the children.”

The two sides have held talks for six months on cooperating. Meetings have been tough and sometimes heated, city negotiators said. Key differences remain between the parties.

Bradley says he still objects to state control and opposes a $107-million school bond measure on the November ballot that is supported by the state. State officials acknowledge that they are still far from working out the details of any agreement.

Both sides also differ on when the state might withdraw from the district. City officials are hoping for the return of local control by the end of next year, one city negotiator said.

But state legislation requires the district to meet certain criteria before that can happen--including raising test scores, shoring up the district’s finances and improving community relations. And despite recent progress, that will take two to five years at least, said Randolph Ward, the district’s state administrator.

The talks, however, have made much progress considering the hostile relations of the past. Plans under discussion include creating a commission of city, state and community representatives to discuss district issues, and sending district and city administrators together on professional training sessions in the hopes of bolstering ties between the two.

But the difficulty of reaching any agreement was demonstrated by the eleventh-hour cancellation of a news conference Monday morning, when city officials had hoped state representatives would join them to announce improved relations.

But announcing an accord with so few details two days before state Assembly hearings on the status of the district would have been premature, state officials said.

“It’s like deciding you’re going to get married but you haven’t talked about where you’re going to live or whether you’re going to have children,” said Ward, the state administrator. “A marriage like that can end up with problems down the line.”

Although talks involve some of the city’s most influential opponents of state control, other critics are not included. Compton school board member Saul Lankster, who with Bradley has been outspoken against state control, said he will not tone down his criticism.

Lankster called the plan to form a commission without representation from the school board an “act of treason” by Bradley and the council. The board was stripped of power when the state took over the district five years ago, and it acts as an advisory body. But its members are still elected by district residents and represent their concerns better than city officials can, Lankster said.

The prospect of city and state officials agreeing on anything marks a dramatic shift from the acrimony that has characterized relations since the state takeover.

In 1993, the state assumed control of the 28,000-student district after it requested a $20-million loan to meet expenses. The new administration ran into intense opposition from some local politicians and residents.

Tensions boiled over during a heated campaign over a school bond ballot measure, which lost in April. The mayor’s sister, a school board trustee who opposed the bond measure, was arrested for allegedly disrupting a board meeting.

But as Bradley and district officials exchanged barbs over the incidents, the council hired a law firm to approach the Department of Education to resolve the conflict.

News of the talks comes at a time when the district is making strides, though much still remains to be done, Ward said. Test results rose last year but remain low. The district has spent about $13 million on school repairs but needs $107 million more, he said. Administrators have made payments toward the state’s $20-million loan on time. In addition, state audits show fewer accounting problems, but improvements are still needed, Ward said.