Los Angeles school officials chose school district administrators to lead nine of the 11 subdistricts created by a sweeping reorganization. The other two appointees worked most recently in the Compton and Santa Rosa school districts.
Under the reorganization plan developed by interim Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, which takes effect July 1, the leaders will have substantial control over resources in their districts and the autonomy to make most decisions about budgeting, procurement and personnel. They will also be accountable for improving the academic performance of their students.
"I could not be more pleased. This is a great, great team," the newly appointed general superintendent, Roy Romer, said at a news conference.
"We're going to bring the administration of Los Angeles Unified as close as we can to the families in this district," Romer said. "The only responsibilities that will be directed by the central core will be those things required of us by the state and federal government, and things like the busing system."
The reorganization is the cornerstone of Cortines' efforts to reform the district. But some observers were skeptical of the new team's ability to be agents of change.
"They talk about reform and then put in insiders," said Paula Boland, a leader of Finally Restoring Excellence in Education, or FREE, a group seeking to break up the district. "The one thing we can count on with the school board is that [it's] predictable. How many times have we heard it's going to be different?"
"It's so predictable," lamented Los Angeles Board of Education member David Tokofsky. "These are chameleon administrators who too often put their finger to the wind and make decisions based on whether they are career enhancing or limiting."
Former board member Mark Slavkin disagreed with their assessments. "I know these people fairly well and they are not representative of the old guard; they are people who've been more on the side of change and reform," he said.
"Generally speaking," he said, "these superintendents reflect the right values that will help their districts move ahead."
Bill Ouchi, vice dean of the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, also applauded the effort.
"There was a reaching down deeper into the talent pool to find people who . . . have demonstrated skill at leadership, not an automatic movement up without real analysis and real thought and willingness to make some very hard decisions," Ouchi said.
