Lomita Case Fails to Deter Breakup Bid

A leader of the movement to split the San Fernando Valley from the Los Angeles Unified School District said Friday the group is undeterred by the state Board of Education’s rejection of a similar but much smaller breakaway bid.

The state education panel on Thursday denied a request by the South Bay city of Lomita to hold an election on its proposal to carve a 2,000-student, three-school system from the nation’s second-largest school district.

“It was disappointing and astonishing, but not unexpected,” said Stephanie Carter, co-chairwoman of the Valley breakaway effort, called Finally Restoring Excellence in Education. “It doesn’t deter any efforts to go ahead and break away from the LAUSD.”

In turning down the request, state board members said a separate district would upset the area’s racial balance and disrupt its educational program.

The proposal garnered three votes--half of what it needed for approval by the 11-member panel. Five board members voted no and three were absent when the vote came after 1 1/2 hours of discussion.

Proponents of the Valley secession effort want to create independent northern and southern districts with about 100,000 students in each school system.

The group maintains that smaller districts would allow for streamlined operations, improved access to administrators and better educational opportunities for all of Los Angeles’ 668,000 public school children.

Carter said she was particularly irked by board member Vicki Reynolds’ assertion that approval of the Lomita proposal would touch off “an avalanche of secession requests.”

“If that is the case,” Carter said, “it should make everyone stop and think, ‘Why do people want to leave? They would not want to leave a successful school district.’ ”

The Lomita secession effort was viewed as a bellwether case for similar movements in the Valley, Gardena and South-Central Los Angeles because it represents only a tiny fraction of the district’s student population, and because Lomita is a separate city.

“I thought Lomita had the best chance of being approved,” Carter said. “They were not trying to put together several school districts; they are already a separate city. What they are trying to do makes sense.”

Reaction to the state panel’s decision was mixed among Los Angeles Board of Education members who represent Valley residents.

“I am not surprised because the proposal was turned down before,” Julie Korenstein said. “We are finding out that breaking up a school district is very difficult. It will be interesting to see what happens with other communities’ attempts to break away.”

David Tokofsky said he doubts the Lomita decision would have an impact on the Valley secession movement.

“What it will do is urge [secession proponents] to insist upon clearly written guidelines . . . so they know the standards by which their applications will be judged,” he said. “Right now, there are no state standards for these kinds of movements. State education officials rely on case law, rather than coming up with rules to govern these things.”

Valerie Fields said the district should remain intact.

“LAUSD is going to remain whole unless there is some groundswell of support for it to be broken apart,” said Fields, who represents portions of the West Valley. “I don’t think it should be dismantled in a way that is similar to a mouse nibbling away at an apple.”