Teachers Buck Union, Repudiate Takeover

Los Angeles teachers have formally voiced opposition to state legislation, supported by their union leaders, that grants substantial control of the school district to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the union announced Thursday.

About a quarter of Los Angeles teachers voted, by a margin of 56% to 44%, to repudiate the schools law signed by the governor last month. A prominent dissident said the vote raised important, ongoing questions, including whether the union leadership should switch sides -- and join an anticipated lawsuit challenging the new law.

Union officials called the referendum a moot issue.

Thursday also was marked by continuing theatrics swirling around the selection of the city’s next schools superintendent, as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and school board President Marlene Canter traded verbal barbs.

In disparaging school board members for the secretive selection process, Villaraigosa said at a news conference that he had never been asked to nominate candidates to replace outgoing schools Supt. Roy Romer.

Moments earlier, however, a senior aide from the Los Angeles Unified School District had handed out copies of a June 16 letter from the firm conducting the confidential search, in which the mayor is asked “for any suggestions you might have for this appointment.”

A Villaraigosa spokeswoman offered clarification later.

“Names of candidates were not submitted because Mayor Villaraigosa is not trying to dictate or control the process, but instead be a partner,” said Janelle Erickson.

The teachers vote, meanwhile, was unwelcome news for union leadership, which downplayed it.

“We’re disappointed,” said A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers L.A. “But it has no effect on the legislation. And we’re going to continue to be at the table with the school district, the mayor and the community. Clearly, we see that members are skeptical of the changes this legislation will bring to schools. I don’t see it as a repudiation of leadership. I view it as a repudiation of Assembly Bill 1381,” he said, referring to the law that becomes effective Jan. 1.

But dissidents see more to the vote.

“What’s important now is that we have a new beginning and a chance to do this thing over,” said Paul Huebner, a teacher at Rowan Elementary who wrote the referendum. “The membership went this way because we were very successful in informing membership that the lawsuit gives us a second bite at the apple.”

Huebner suggested that UTLA should now side with the district in arguing that the new law is unconstitutional. “I prefer to think of it as the members’ side, not the district’s,” Huebner said.

Also back on the table is whether and how teachers should participate in three groups of schools that the law places under Villaraigosa’s direct control, said teacher Warren Fletcher.

The mayor’s office -- and the district superintendent -- will choose three high schools and their feeder schools from a group of 19 eligible low-performing high schools.

Turnout for the teachers vote was low, but about the same as for the union’s presidential election.

School board member Jon Lauritzen, who is closely aligned with the union but opposed the new law, said he expected the rank and file to come out against its leadership.

“They have to take this as a wake-up call and reexamine where they go from here,” Lauritzen said, adding that the vote could weaken the union leaders’ position as they try to salvage gains for teachers in the law.

In their own ballot arguments, union leaders said a repudiation could weaken their bargaining position in ongoing contract talks. The teachers contract expired June 30, although both sides have agreed on an extension of health benefits.

Duffy said that members’ views had been distorted by characterization of the law as full “mayoral control,” which, he said, the union had successfully negotiated out of the bill’s final version.

Board President Canter suggested that teachers, in fact, understood exactly what was going on.

“It was a legislative deal that does not represent the people. The voters of Los Angeles were passed by and now it’s clear the leadership of UTLA did not consult or represent their constituents.”

Canter also had words for the mayor in her own news conference. She sternly dismissed the mayor’s portrait of the board as disgruntled and unwilling to partner with the mayor.

“I have bent over backward ... trying to find a way to common ground between what the Board of Education feels is its responsibility and what the mayor would like to do.”

Villaraigosa, flanked by officials from other cities served by L.A. Unified, called in the media a day after the board on Wednesday formally rejected Villaraigosa’s request to review the full list of more than 100 candidates for superintendent, interview finalists and give input on whom he wants hired.

“This is the biggest decision the school board will make. They shouldn’t rush to make that decision behind closed doors,” Villaraigosa said. “I believe we made a modest and reasonable proposal.... We simply asked the board to open up this process, to let the sun shine in.”

Canter said that while “sitting in on interviews and offering in-put is one thing,” she feared that Villaraigosa, if allowed to meet the finalists, would publicly criticize whom the board selects if he disagrees.

She left quickly to rejoin interviews the board was holding with two finalists. Board members hope to decide by the end of next week, according to some board members and staffers. The mayor departs Saturday for a 16-day trade mission to Asia.

howard.blume@latimes.com

joel.rubin@latimes.com