The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to pay at least $517,500 to buy out Supt. David L. Brewer midway through his four-year contract to run the nation's second-largest school system.
No successor was named, but board members and other civic leaders have said they expect that the No. 2 administrator, Ramon C. Cortines, will be offered the job at least on an interim basis.
Brewer, 62, said he would stay at the helm of the Los Angeles Unified School District through the end of the month.
Cortines, a retired superintendent who joined the district in April, declined to comment on who would succeed Brewer, saying he intends to focus on his current job.
"I came here to help," he said. "I'm still here to help." But he added that board members need to clarify leadership roles quickly because of the current massive budget crisis: "I've made it clear. With the kind of budget issues we are facing and the change of superintendents, everything we can do to have stability in this system is very important."
The week began with Brewer's announcement Monday that he would be willing to accept a buyout, one week after Board of Education President Monica Garcia made it clear she would seek to replace him.
Because the board terminated Brewer "without cause," he's entitled to receive a buyout specified under his contract. The terms under the contract are 18 months' salary, totaling $450,000, and his expense account over that period, which adds $67,500. He'll also get cash for unused vacation pay, an amount not yet calculated. Finally, he'll be eligible for health benefits during the period covered by the buyout.
In a brief appearance before reporters, Garcia took no questions and read from a statement that echoed the concerns of Cortines. She vowed to develop a "leadership plan," adding, "We understand that we need stability."
Speaking in English and Spanish, she said she expects a decision regarding the district's top administrator before year's end. Cortines said his understanding is that the board will act Dec. 16.
Five of seven board members approved the settlement: Garcia, Yolie Flores Aguilar, Marlene Canter, Tamar Galatzan and Richard Vladovic. Voting against were Julie Korenstein and Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte.
Board members said they discussed Brewer's settlement privately for two hours in a morning meeting that sometimes became contentious.
