Superintendent Roy Romer wants to step down, and that means the LA Unified School District could be in for a shake-up. The former Governor of Colorado who became Superintendent in 2000 has 18 months left on his contract, but says he wants out now. His replacement will face a high drop-out rate and low rate of graduation, not to mention $10 billion of unfunded liabilities for retirements. Still, there's a growing roster of potential successors to head the 750,000-student system, from local bureaucrats to national figures to old hands like Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg. Mayor Villaraigosa wants a piece of the action, and there's another move to break up the second largest school district in the nation. We talk to reporters, teachers, LAUSD administrators and education reformers about some of the options.
