Turning Up the Heat in LAUSD

The warning notices being sent to 59 principals and other administrators are a welcome signal that Supt. Ruben Zacarias is serious about changing the culture of drift and incompetence in the Los Angeles schools.

A first test of Zacarias’ intent and his clout will come in June, when he must decide whether to move against any of the 59 if he determines that individual performance remains wanting. The second and arguably more important test will come soon thereafter, when the Board of Education takes up the superintendent’s final recommendations. More than one worthy initiative to improve local schools has foundered on the shoals of the parochial interests and petty politics that dominate that board.

The warning notices, going out to principals, vice principals and cluster administrators, total six times the number sent last year. Only a few of those on the list are likely to face immediate action, which is taken when, for instance, the person has been convicted in a criminal case or has failed to obtain required academic certification.

Others--including 20 principals at the district’s 100 worst schools--are on the list because of their schools’ poor academic performance or because of concerns about poor management or communication skills. These cases will be the hardest to decide since judgments about leadership and interpersonal skills are always subjective. But any hope of improving the academic performance of children turns on making the adults who run their schools more accountable. Hardly a wild-eyed notion, except in a district so long willing to harbor mediocrity.

In the coming months, the notified administrators--whose names are being withheld to protect their privacy--will have a chance to answer the concerns. Zacarias can then choose to demote, reassign, fire or do nothing. The superintendent will do no one a favor if he simply reassigns “problem” administrators to other schools, as has happened too often.

However, the bigger obstacle to real change could well be the Board of Education, which must approve Zacarias’ recommendations. Predictably, some board members are already whining that the criteria used to judge performance are too vague or that perhaps the district should create a task force to define accountability. This is not a good sign.