CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

A Woodland Hills school building that has sat empty for more than a decade was designated for future use as a magnet school Tuesday night by the board of the L.A. Unified School District.

Collins Elementary School, which was shut years ago because of dropping enrollment, is one of several closed schools included in a master plan that sought to reopen the buildings to reduce overcrowding, open special and career-technical programs and provide space for charter schools.

Nearby Ivy Academia charter school has been lobbying to use Collins for five years. Several parents were at the meeting Tuesday. Some school board members thought a magnet school would be a better option because it would represent students from throughout the district.

-- Raja Abdulrahim