Board OKs Plan to Add Minority Students in Valley

A plan that will change the ethnic ratios at 21 San Fernando Valley and seven Los Angeles schools to accommodate more minority students from crowded campuses elsewhere was approved Monday by the Los Angeles school board.

The board voted to review the ethnic ratios at 42 other campuses to see if changing the ratios will provide more classroom space. The study will include 24 Valley schools.

Year-Round Schedule Delayed

The board also decided to consider increasing the percentage of minorities at some schools as a strategy to delay placing the entire district on a year-round schedule. Last year the board voted to phase in a districtwide, year-round schedule as a last-ditch means of providing classroom space for the estimated 82,000 new students expected to enroll by 1990.

According to staff reports, altering the ethnic ratios would provide about 13,157 additional seats.

The district now tries to maintain enrollments at most schools at no more than 60% minority students, with at least 40% Anglo students. Courts that monitor district activities have approved the 60%-40% ratio as meeting desegregation goals.

Under the plan approved Monday, by a vote of 4-1 with one abstention, the 28 schools would be allowed to increase their minority enrollment to 70% and let Anglo enrollment drop to 30% beginning this fall. The district would still call these schools “integrated.”

Decreased Time on Buses

Increasing the minority percentage will allow more schools to enroll minority students from crowded East L. A. and Hollywood schools. Board members said they hope that it will also reduce the time students have to spend riding buses to less crowded campuses.

“The difference between 60%-40% and 70%-30% was our cushion,” said John Greenwood, a board member who represents the Harbor area. “We’ve determined that we cannot afford that cushion anymore.”

“This is not done out of any casual need,” added Jackie Goldberg, whose central-city district has the most students bused to other schools. “This is being done because children have nowhere else to go.”

But Westside representative Alan Gershman, who cast the only dissenting vote, disagreed. He said there are legitimate questions about whether a board action that will create 70%-minority schools may be interpreted legally as intentionally creating segregated schools.

East Valley representative Roberta Weintraub, who abstained from voting, also expressed reservations about changing the ratio.

Change in Perception

Before recommending that ethnic ratios be changed at a school, the district was required to determine if increasing the number of minority students would change the perception of the school.

Residents living near the schools were asked if they thought a school with a 70%-minority enrollment was segregated or desegregated. Faculty members were asked whether the staff would consider a 70%-minority school a segregated school.

Additionally, the ethnic composition of the school’s staff and the school’s existing and projected student body composition were taken into account before the recommendation for a ratio change was made.

Valley high schools involved in the change are Kennedy in Granada Hills, Monroe in Sepulveda and Sylmar.

Junior high schools are Columbus in Canoga Park, Holmes in Northridge, Madison in North Hollywood, Mulholland in Van Nuys, Porter in Granada Hills and Sutter in Canoga Park.

Elementary schools are Anatola in Van Nuys, Van Nuys, Beckford in Northridge, El Oro Way in Granada Hills, Hubbard in Sylmar, Kester in Van Nuys, Knollwood in Granada Hills, Mt. View in Tujunga, Pinewood in Tujunga, Ranchito in Panorama City, San Jose in Mission Hills and Saticoy in North Hollywood.

The Valley schools to be studied for possible conversion sometime during the 1986-87 school year include two senior high schools--Grant in Van Nuys and Verdugo Hills in Tujunga.

Junior highs to be studied are Fulton in Van Nuys, Millikan in Sherman Oaks, Frost in Granada Hills, Henry in Granada Hills, Mt. Gleason in Tujunga, Nobel in Northridge and Olive Vista in Sylmar.

Elementary schools are Calabash in Woodland Hills, Chase in Panorama City, Danube in Granada Hills, Encino, Erwin in Van Nuys, Gault in Van Nuys, Justice in Canoga Park, Lanai in Encino, Lemay in Van Nuys, Lockhurst in Woodland Hills, Nestle in Tarzana, Stagg in Van Nuys, Sunny Brae in Canoga Park and Vanalden in Reseda.