CARSON : Petition Drive Launched for New School District

A citizens committee has begun collecting signatures on a petition asking county authorities to allow the city to break away from the Los Angeles and Compton school systems and form its own district.

Organizers of the Carson Unified School District Formation Committee say more than 100 volunteers are working to collect signatures. The independent district would include Carson High School, three middle schools and 14 elementary schools within city boundaries, except Compton’s Ralph Bunche Elementary School, which serves Compton students primarily.

The County Office of Education authorized the group earlier this month to collect signatures after reviewing its list of reasons for creating a separate district.

Organizers say an independent district would allow local control of educational standards, more responsiveness to local needs and a fairer allocation of funds.

A fourth of the 40,427 registered voters in Carson must sign the committee’s petition to continue the lengthy process, which includes public hearings, reviews by state education officials and a referendum. Carolyn L. Harris, a committee leader, said the group hopes to collect more than enough signatures by mid-December.