L.A. Unified to choose school board president

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday is scheduled to choose its next president, and, for the first time in seven years, that person most likely will not be Monica Garcia.

The change has symbolic importance, signaling that the board majority intends to exert more control over L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy. A new president also would mark the decline in influence of just-departed L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Garcia was Villaraigosa’s most loyal ally on the seven-member body.

The board president has no greater legal authority than other members but runs the meetings and frequently represents the L.A. Unified School District.

Supporters as well as critics have said Garcia wielded an outsize influence on district policy and the use of district resources. But on this round, she appears to lack the votes to retain the gavel. Each trustee has a vote in selecting the president.

Garcia’s most likely successor would be Richard Vladovic or Steve Zimmer, in that order, according to most observers. Board policy, adopted in March, forbids a trustee from serving more than two consecutive one-year terms as president. That policy alone puts Garcia out of the running, but the board also has the authority to change those rules at will.

The reconfigured board will include one new member, former teacher Monica Ratliff, who defeated a better-funded, Villaraigosa-backed opponent. She succeeds Nury Martinez in representing the east San Fernando Valley. Martinez did not seek reelection, choosing instead to run for the L.A. City Council.

For the first time in several years, the incoming board won’t have to face substantial budget cuts. But there are tough decisions ahead about how to spend surplus funds that aren’t sufficient to redress all the recent cuts. The school system also faces mounting legal fees from the Miramonte litigation and other child-abuse cases. Academically, the district is getting ready for new state curriculum standards and planning to put an iPad into the hands of every student. Teachers and principals face new, detailed job evaluations based in part on student standardized test scores.

But the focus Tuesday will be on political smoke signals. The favorite, Vladovic, is known to have a rocky relationship with Deasy. They have managed to work cordially in public and are respectful in public comments about each other. But there are reports of repeated episodes of antagonism between them.

Vladovic concedes that he has a temper and that he has shown it to members of Deasy’s staff.

“I’m very emotional if I feel you’re not working in the best interests of kids,” said Vladovic, who also said he retains no ill feelings toward anyone and never targets individuals.

The issue of whether Vladovic has gone too far is the subject of an internal inquiry. So was the question of whether he had any involvement in possible missteps in a sex-abuse investigation.

Vladovic’s defenders have speculated that the investigations are fishing expeditions by Deasy allies meant to derail his bid to be board president.

The Daily News published an article last week about these investigations, citing only an unnamed district source. The Times independently confirmed that the investigations occurred, but to date there are no conclusions that Vladovic did anything illegal or unethical.

“There is a real irony to the timing of this and it’s highly suspicious,” said Vladovic. “I’m not going to dwell on it.”

The source of the leaked investigation is unclear, but some board members and district staff said they believe Deasy provided the information or that he authorized someone to do so.

Deasy has insisted that he doesn’t speak publicly about personnel matters.

Regardless, the issue has come to symbolize the fractured trust between Deasy and some board members and among the board members themselves.

Garcia and Tamar Galatzan remain staunchly loyal to Deasy. The other board members are less committed but so far are unwilling to replace him.

Under the circumstances, one-term incumbent Zimmer is widely regarded as the preferred choice over Vladovic among Deasy and his allies, an ironic turn of events. Deasy supporters had worked hard -- and unsuccessfully -- to defeat Zimmer in this year’s school board elections.

Zimmer turned to the teachers union to fund the campaign that kept him in office, and the teachers union has been sharply critical of Deasy. Zimmer characterizes himself as a moderate who seeks to unite the board over critical issues.

Deasy enjoys the support of a coalition of community organizations and new Mayor Eric Garcetti. Employee unions have been less enthusiastic.

Garcia used her control of the gavel to shorten marathon meetings and to cut down on committee meetings, freeing staff members for other tasks. Critics accused her of reducing transparency and opportunities for public input.

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Twitter: @howardblume | howard.blume@latimes.com