In Wake of Suit, L.A. Moves To Revamp Spec.-Ed. System

By Lynn Schnaiberg

The Los Angeles school district has set out to revamp the way it goes about providing special education. But it has not done so without a push.

In an effort to settle a 1993 class action, the school board last month approved a sweeping consent decree that would overhaul everything from how special-education students are identified and tracked to where they are educated. But the agreement, which passed by a 5-1 vote with one member abstaining, still has a considerable way to travel before it wins final approval from the board and the federal judge overseeing the case.

And critics already are raising questions about the feasibility of the plan, especially how the district plans to pay for it. The reforms have no price...