District Relaxes Restrictions on Purchasing

The Los Angeles school board voted Monday to loosen restrictions that have forced teachers and principals to shop at the district’s supply warehouse--which was a symbol to many of district inefficiency.

Teachers and principals had complained that the district policy requiring schools to order virtually everything--from crayons and pencils to VCRs--from the central warehouse kept prices artificially high and led to delays.

District officials argued that central purchasing saved money because of bulk buying, and guaranteed that safety and other standards were met.

The new policy will allow schools to buy items that cost less than $1,000 out of the equivalent of a petty cash fund that generally amounts to at least several thousand dollars per school.

“More than anything, this sends a message that we trust the schools and are willing to let them make these kinds of budget decisions for themselves,” said board member Mark Slavkin, who pushed for the change.

As the district has cut costs and shifted more decision-making power to the schools in the last two years, the cavernous warehouse became a focal point for criticism because of the expense of maintaining the building, which was stocked with supplies that schools could not get because of a spending freeze.

Slavkin said there is no way to predict whether the new policy will save the district money, but if it is successful the district may phase out its central purchasing policies so that school officials can make all purchases themselves.