Trustees Seek to Extend Rule on Promoting Women

The Los Angeles school board voted Monday to seek court approval to extend for five years a consent decree requiring the school district to promote more women into administrative posts.

The decree was part of the settlement of a 1980 class-action lawsuit alleging the district discriminated against women seeking promotions to administrative positions. The decree requires that the district appoint women administrators according to certain annual numerical goals, until 50% of school principals and other high-level administrators are women.

The district has met those goals in most areas, but has failed to appoint enough female junior and senior high principals, adult school administrators and assistant superintendents to meet requirements of the decree, which would expire this year without the extension.