Romer’s ‘Incomplete’

Roy Romer has been in the nearly impossible job of running the Los Angeles Unified School District for more than a year now. He recently received a good “report card” from his bosses on the school board. We see his performance as calling for an incomplete grade at this point. But an “incomplete” can become a pass, and for anyone running the troubled district--the nation’s second-largest--that possibility is a victory.

Romer, a Democrat, came to this post as a familiar, back-slapping former governor from Colorado, taking a job that no successful big-city school superintendent wanted. What did Romer know about instruction, building schools or Southern California with its intense diversity, complicated politics and layers of ethnic, racial and class rivalries? It was a fair question, and we certainly asked it.

In his first year, which ended in July, Romer proved that he is a quick learner in some aspects of the job. He expanded the focus on reading and standards put in place by the interim superintendent and exemplary educator, Ramon C. Cortines. Elementary students made strong gains for the third consecutive year in the statewide Stanford 9 test results, led by third-graders who moved up more than any other grade in math, reading, spelling and language skills. But older students, with the exception of sixth-graders, continued to stagnate or fall further behind. And overall, LAUSD students continued to lag behind the national average. This indicates the magnitude of the task that Romer faces.

The superintendent has shown determination in getting more schools built, properly insisting that the district either safely finish or sell the site of the unfinished Belmont Learning Complex, where construction was halted because of environmental and public health concerns. But some of the major structural problems remain relatively untouched. Romer must respond quickly to management shortcomings identified by audits and be more willing to challenge the unions to make the necessary key tradeoff: higher salaries and greater flexibility for greater accountability.

The LAUSD has had four superintendents in five years. Romer has shown himself to be passionate about improving public education. Now, it’s time for the toughest part of making the grade: the follow-through.