Books, Bathrooms

Re “LAUSD Problems,” Letters to the Valley Edition, June 18.

It is correct that when I was appointed interim superintendent of this school district, I promised to make sure there were books in the schools and clean bathrooms. We have made enormous progress on both counts in the past six months.

However, an art teacher from Francis Polytechnic High School wrote you saying there were inadequate textbooks and dirty bathrooms at her school. I personally checked into these charges and found neither is true. We have been assured by the principal there that there is no shortage of textbooks, and our records verify that the school has spent more than $150,000 on textbooks in this school year and has a balance remaining of $260,000 to be spent in the coming year.

We added custodial staff and established a bathroom hotline in December that has been quite effective in improving conditions at the schools. In this period, only six calls have been received from this high school. We paid an unannounced visit to the school the day after the [letter] appeared and found some debris on the floors and some new graffiti on the walls, but nothing that indicated continual neglect.

I have been insistent that the books and bathrooms mandate be observed and receive regular reports on both issues.

RAMON C. CORTINES

Interim Superintendent

Los Angeles Unified

School District