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Hahn Urges City-School Construction Authority

FEBRUARY 02, 2001
LOS ANGELES TIMES

By DOUG SMITH
Times Education Writer

Adding an education plank to his mayoral campaign, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn proposed Thursday that the city help solve the Los Angeles classroom shortage by forming a joint construction authority with the school district.

Hahn said a joint agency headed by experts in construction, finance, environmental cleanup and real estate could build schools faster than the school district. That would free the Los Angeles Board of Education to concentrate on education, Hahn said.

Hahn announced his plan at Hoover Elementary School, one of the district's most crowded. With an enrollment of 2,600, the school has no space for 500 area children who are bused to other schools, Principal Marie Levya said.

"This is a crisis all over the city," Hahn said. "I propose we drastically restructure the way L.A. builds schools."

Los Angeles school officials abruptly rejected the idea, however, saying the district has revitalized its construction division with top professionals and is now on time and on budget in a program to build about 85 schools in five years.

"I would love to cooperate with the mayor," Supt. Roy Romer said. "But we do not need a joint-powers agreement."

Board member Caprice Young said the district has often been obstructed by city agencies in its search for new school sites. What is needed, she said, is more cooperation, rather than a new agency.

"I don't know if we need more bureaucracy," Young said.

Hahn acknowledged that he had not briefed board members or top school officials on his plan, even though it would require their approval.

"It's great that they have a lot of new talent there," Hahn said. "I'd like to have that talent in an agency with a single purpose."

The idea of placing school construction under an independent agency has been proposed by others, including former state Sen. Tom Hayden. Former Supt. Ruben Zacarias endorsed such a plan in concept, but the school board never considered it. Zacarias' successor, Ramon Cortines, instead brought in new management for the district's in-house building team.

Hahn became the third of the six major mayoral candidates to make proposals dealing with schools. Businessman Steve Soboroff has called for the breakup of the 723,000-student district. Former Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa offered an 11-point plan to forge a partnership between the city and the district.