District Officials Vow to End Forced Busing of Students

Los Angeles school officials pledged Wednesday to end decades of forced busing by 2006 through a massive school construction program that calls for 85 new campuses in the district’s most crowded neighborhoods.

More than 16,000 students now ride buses because their neighborhood campuses are full.

The $1.8-billion construction program is meant not only to end busing, but to provide seats for an expanding enrollment that is expected to peak in 2006. District officials estimate that they will need space for at least 63,000 additional students by 2006.

But the construction program, which officials describe as their highest priority, faces numerous hurdles. Not all sites have been identified, many still face environmental reviews, and the district’s plans will require eliminating 1,200 houses and apartments and relocating the residents--a politically explosive task.

“What we have going here is one of the largest public works projects in the United States,” Supt. Roy Romer said at the news conference. “It isn’t all going to go smooth.”

Although the aims of the construction program have been outlined in the past, Wednesday marked the first time that district officials committed to a date for getting students off buses.

“By 2006, [forced busing] would be eliminated under current plans,” Kathy Littman, the district’s director of new construction, said.

The new campuses would be located in the most crowded areas--primarily the eastern San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles, downtown and the southeast portion of the district that includes South Gate and Huntington Park.

Littman and Romer spoke at one of the new sites--the former home of Fox Television, a 12-acre Hollywood property slated to open as a 1,875-seat high school in 2005.

The planned 85 campuses would include 28 elementary schools, 28 primary centers, six middle schools, 19 high schools and four continuation high schools.

So far, the district has identified 82 sites with room for 57,000 students. But only 16 sites, including the Fox property, have been secured. Those secured sites would provide nearly 18,000 new seats--just under 30% of the needed 63,000.

Romer toured several sites by helicopter Wednesday with his new facilities chief, Jim McConnell, and school board President Genethia Hayes.

The construction program will not entirely end busing. About 60,000 students still ride buses voluntarily to attend specialized magnet schools or special education programs, or because they live in remote areas. But district officials described an end to forced busing as one of their top priorities.

“We cannot talk about achievement or parent involvement unless we get these schools built,” Hayes said.

To maintain its ambitious timeline and qualify for necessary state funding, the district must ensure that each proposed school clears environmental reviews and receives architectural approvals in Sacramento, a complex process that can break down at several junctures. In addition, the proposal to take housing units could set off battles with homeowners and advocates for affordable housing.

Romer said his staff was closely reviewing each potential property to ensure that it is safe for students and teachers. The district, he said, learned a lesson from the Belmont Learning Complex, the half-finished high school near downtown that was halted last year amid concerns over environmental hazards. Explosive methane gas and deadly hydrogen sulfide have been found at the site, which sits atop an abandoned oil field.

McConnell, the new facilities chief, said the district will thoroughly assess each property. “One thing we can assure you is that these schools will be environmentally safe schools,” McConnell said.

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School Sites

The Los Angeles Unified School District is considering 85 sites for new schools in its subdistricts, which are identified on the map as letters. Among them are 16 sites that the district owns or has optioned.

Source: L.A. Unified School District