Supt. Brewer’s $500,000 parachute

The stars -- or at least the school board -- appear aligned to end Supt. David L. Brewer’s contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District. And based on his comments at a news conference Monday, he sounds more than ready to go, as long as the district pays the full amount stipulated in his contract for early termination. That means he would be paid up to 18 months of salary and expenses on a contract that runs only two more years. Who can blame Brewer for pursuing such a deal? He not only would get away from the embarrassment of hearing his weak administration being discussed loudly and publicly, he’d take more than $500,000 with him.

Had board President Monica Garcia handled the matter more gracefully, by conferring with the board and offering Brewer a well-planned and dignified retreat, she might have saved the retired vice admiral considerable humiliation and saved the district considerable money. Instead, she kept other board members in the dark and clumsily arranged to discuss Brewer’s departure at a hasty board meeting that never materialized. Brewer is rightly upset about how he has been treated, but the board answers first to taxpayers and students, and it should fight to avoid a huge payout. Think of the teachers whose jobs could be saved, the textbooks that could be purchased.

The right thing for Brewer to do is show his commitment to children by taking a partial severance. He bought a condo in Playa Vista that lost considerable value, and we sympathize, but not to the tune of $500,000 in unearned income.

It’s tempting to say that if Brewer is going to be paid anyway, the board might as well keep him on contract and have him perform some useful function -- such as tutoring or counseling. If Brewer will not do the honorable thing, though, the board has little choice but to pay him to leave. With Senior Deputy Supt. Ramon C. Cortines running most of the district’s day-to-day operations, no one is sure who’s in charge of what. Like children manipulating their parents, employees reportedly play one manager against the other. If they don’t like the answer they get from Brewer, they go to Cortines, or vice versa.

L.A. Unified, like districts statewide, faces harsh times. This is no time for managerial confusion or timid leadership. Even if the board hasn’t handled the matter graciously, we’re happy to see it moving toward a resolution. Now if only the board members learn better than to hand out contracts that include budget-busting severance packages. And when superintendents leave, it’s absurd for the district to pay for their expense accounts when they’re no longer doing any district business.