Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday won final approval from California lawmakers to take partial control over his city鈥檚 sprawling school system. The plan would give him considerable sway over the hiring of the superintendent, but falls short of the strong mayoral control in cities like New York City and Chicago.
The quasi-takeover of the nation鈥檚 second-largest school district, packaged as state legislation that bypasses local voters, also would give the mayor direct authority over a cluster of low-performing schools. The mayor has relentlessly cited the district鈥檚 high school dropout rate鈥攁 figure he believes is as high as 50 percent鈥攁s a moral imperative to reform the 727,000-student district.
鈥淢ake no mistake, this is a milestone that comes but once in a generation,鈥� Mayor Villaraigosa said in a written statement issued late on Aug. 29. 鈥淲e have brought parents, teachers, and community leaders together around the idea that we can and must do better for our children.鈥�
In a 42-20 vote, the state Assembly, the legislature鈥檚 lower house, backed the mayor鈥檚 reform plan. It now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has said he will sign the measure. The state Senate had approved the bill on Aug. 28, in a 23-14 vote.
Officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District, who battled to defeat the bill, will likely challenge the measure鈥檚 constitutionality鈥攑articularly the provision that gives the mayor direct control over three of the city鈥檚 worst high schools and the middle and elementary schools that feed them.
鈥楴ot a Failing District鈥�
Superintendent Roy Romer, who is preparing to step down in September after six years, fought hard against the plan and used his last chance to plead with lawmakers on Aug. 29 to reject the mayor鈥檚 proposal.
Mr. Romer, who served three terms as Colorado governor before accepting the Los Angeles job in 2000, reminded lawmakers that test scores in the district had risen steadily during his tenure and that an historic, $19 billion construction program to build 150 new schools was being well managed.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a failing district,鈥� Mr. Romer told members of the Assembly鈥檚 education committee. 鈥淲hy do you want to yank the rug out from under us now?鈥�
Mayor Villaraigosa, a Democrat who has spent much of his first year in office campaigning for reform in his city鈥檚 schools, would share much of his authority with a council of mayors representing the 26 other cities that lie within the boundaries of the district. His plan empowers the superintendent to manage most of the contracting, budgeting, and hiring in the district, while keeping the elected school board responsible for collective bargaining, a concession the mayor offered to win support from teacher unions.
The mayor and his supporters scheduled a celebration of the bill鈥檚 victory in the legislature for Aug. 30 at a south Los Angeles charter high school.
