Colburn parents are given some space

The sour notes that intruded on the opening of the expanded Colburn School appear to be a disharmony of the past.

According to parents who had complained, three months after the music institution in downtown Los Angeles opened a new facility, parking problems there have been markedly alleviated.

“Things have gotten a lot better,” said John Green, one of a number of people who voiced dissatisfaction in September that parking was being limited for parents of the approximately 1,500 children attending the Colburn’s community-based School of Performing Arts division.

“The administration listened to the parents quite carefully and did their best to accommodate their needs,” Green said. “My overall impression is that this has been a big learning curve for everybody. From my point of view, the problem has been resolved.”

The parents had complained that with the school’s expansion -- a $120-million, 13-story structure built adjacent to its Grand Avenue headquarters, mainly to house the new Colburn Conservatory of Music -- their kids were being shortchanged as attention shifted to professional training for the 100 conservatory students.

Additionally, some were unhappy that a 5% tuition discount for early enrollment had been eliminated even though a $50 once-a-year registration fee was eliminated as well.

To address the parents’ concerns, newly appointed Colburn President Miguel Angel Corzo, Dean Deborah Berman and other administrative staff set up two meetings in September.

“We had solutions in place before” the parents’ complaints about parking were publicized, Berman said.

“We were already taking the situation very seriously because we wanted to have it solved because we value our parents,” she said. “I’ve been dean of two community schools. This is one of the most dedicated parent bodies I’ve ever seen. They’re extraordinarily committed. There’s nothing we want less than to discourage them.”

Until last summer, parents had been able to park free in the 92 spaces in the Grand Avenue building. When those spaces filled up, the overflow was directed to a lot across the street, where the cost was $2 after a school validation worth $4.

In May, however, Berman sent a letter to parents saying that the school would no longer be able to provide parking in the Colburn garage but had negotiated subsidized parking at the nearby California Plaza.

Unfortunately, she wrote, the subsidy would not apply before 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Parents complained that the California Plaza lot, like others nearby, was expensive and inconvenient.

In response, the school initially allocated 40 reserved parking spaces in the Grand Avenue building garage but has since increased the number to between 60 and 70.

“The facilities department has been studying the situation and may increase the spaces even more,” Berman said. “We believe we have the problems solved.”

Some parents, such as Green, Michael Russell and Richard Oyekan, have cut back or otherwise adjusted their youngsters’ schedules to avoid the school’s busiest days -- Wednesdays and Saturdays.

But Andrea Sanderson, who has two sons at Colburn, said, “I haven’t had any kind of parking problem whatsoever going on Wednesdays.”

As for complaints that the younger students were being shortchanged, Berman said, “The expanded campus is not in any way just for the conservatory program. Many School of Performing Arts faculty are teaching in the new Olive Street building. There are many more studios and practice rooms for both programs. The truth is, it’s very much a shared campus. The School of Performing Arts and the parents are benefiting wonderfully.”

One matter remains unresolved -- the cancellation of the 5% early enrollment discount.

“We’re really not addressing it yet,” Berman said. “There were issues in the new software that made it difficult to track discounts in a way we had in the past. With the elimination of the registration fee, it was a wash for some families, a slight improvement for some and not an improvement for some.

“We will consider options,” she said. “The new system is complex. We’re in the sort of training phases right now. But we’re definitely going to examine it.”

chris.pasles@latimes.com