New Era at School Board

Mayor Richard Riordan has a right to celebrate. So do the voters and civic activists who demanded and got change on the Los Angeles School Board, seeing outright victories for Riordan-backed candidates Caprice Young and Mike Lansing with incumbent David Tokofsky headed for an apparent narrow win. There will be a runoff between incumbent Barbara Boudreaux, who also should be swept out, and Genethia Hayes, the fourth challenger backed by Riordan. The results reflect an amazingly successful uprising against two incumbents who were tied to poor test scores, poor management and poor excuses.

Riordan took on the school board even though he technically has no authority over the public schools. He backed a slate of reform candidates, raised $2 million and, along with the business-led Committee on Effective School Governance, forced a vigorous debate throughout the vast district. The mayor, and those who supported his campaign to revamp a dysfunctional school board, deserve appreciation.

In the runoff, Hayes is by far the better choice for District 1, which covers South and Central Los Angeles. A civil rights leader, former teacher and coalition builder, Hayes has a record of getting things done, unlike Boudreaux, who has delivered little during two terms on the board. During the campaign, Boudreaux resorted to divisive, racially tinged rhetoric, excoriating Hayes for accepting support from Riordan instead of concentrating on urgent educational issues. Hayes cannot let up now. Beating Boudreaux, a necessity for a board majority that can accomplish school reform, will require a substantial and sustained effort leading up to the June 8 runoff election.

Before Tuesday, incumbents on the seven-member board routinely faced minor opposition and prevailed for years regardless of the kind of job they did. The voters who bothered to go to the polls on Tuesday signaled a new era.

As the new board takes charge, reading instruction must take priority in a district where only one of three children reads at grade level in English by the end of third grade. The new board members must, as promised, work together collegially and govern in a disciplined fashion. They also must support Supt. Ruben Zacarias and his instructional priorities and hold greedy labor demands at bay. That goal will require Tokofsky, a former teacher, to mature in his second term on the board and put improving student achievement ahead of teachers union wish lists.

The new board members will be sworn in July 1. But they should attend school board meetings now, as well as visit schools and look to Tokofsky for his fund of knowledge. They will need to take office well-informed and ready to do battle with anyone who tries to prolong the sorry status quo.

The victories of Caprice Young, David Tokofsky and Mike Lansing are cause for optimism. If these three can gain the help of Genethia Hayes, they can make a difference for the public schools, and for Los Angeles’ children.