Candidates Give Differing Views of L.A. Unified

A Los Angeles school system that is torn by divisiveness and inefficiency or one that is on the mend after years of reform: That is the choice voters were offered Wednesday in the first forum involving all four races in next month’s Board of Education election.

The forum, organized by the California Chicano News Media Assn. and hosted by KTLA Channel 5, brought together eight of the 10 candidates on the April 13 ballot for four board seats and one write-in candidate.

At the first public event drawing candidates from all four races, the candidates set a tone of tough but polite disagreement.

Many struck up the theme of micro-managing and lack of focus that was raised last month by a group of Los Angeles civic leaders who advocated that board members should spend their time on high-level policy and leave detail to the bureaucracy.

The candidates criticized the current board as an unfocused, dysfunctional group that should be held accountable for the inability of a high percentage of the district’s nearly 700,000 schoolchildren to perform up to standard in reading and math.

“When I think that two-thirds of the children can’t read, I worry what that’s going to mean for democracy and for the economy,” said Caprice Young, who is challenging board member Jeff Horton. “I’m here to fix it.”

Two of the three incumbents painted a much more positive picture of the district, saying that they should get credit for reforms that are beginning to have an effect.

“I have been working for eight years to implement the reforms that for most of the people up here are just vague campaign statements,” said Horton, who represents the district from Hollywood to Van Nuys.

George Kiriyama, who represents the area from Watts to San Pedro, said test scores are up, dropouts down, teacher absences down and student attendance up.

But board member David Tokofsky, one of four candidates who is being backed by Mayor Richard Riordan in an effort to reshape school leadership, joined in the criticism of current practices. He chastised the district’s instructional leaders for designing a new high school for more than 5,000 students.

“I think what we have to do is think of small schools so you don’t have to look at massive pieces of land where toxics will become an issue,” Tokofsky said, referring to the Belmont Learning Complex that is being built on the site of possible contamination.

Board member Barbara Boudreaux did not attend.

Horton and Kiriyama both criticized Riordan’s campaign to unseat them and Boudreaux.

Horton lambasted the mayor for gathering the resources of “a few rich people who are not residents of his district or, in some cases, Los Angeles, to try to influence the election.”

“They can try to buy a school board like they have brought income properties,” Horton said. “I would suggest that the mayor take care of the city.”

Kiriyama said he was hurt because the mayor would not return his phone calls.

“I have no idea why he is against my personal views,” Kiriyama said.

Several challengers said that district employees should be fired when it is determined who failed to address the environmental problems plaguing the Belmont Learning Complex.

Others said the board must ultimately be held accountable.

“You should fire the whole board,” said Moses Calhoun, who is challenging Boudreaux.

In response to a question about political ambitions, all the candidates said they want only to educate children.