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Reflecting a shift to a more conservative stance, the Los Angeles school board Friday elected Roberta Weintraub to replace Rita Walters as president.
Weintraub, 52, who represents the East San Fernando Valley, was the unanimous choice on a second ballot. Westside board member Alan Gershman was nominated first but received only three votes.
Weintraub was elected to the panel 10 years ago as a fierce opponent of mandatory busing and was chosen as president her first year on the board. She served two consecutive terms as president, but her tenure was marked by volatile board confrontations over integration, which, her critics said at the time, were made worse by Weintraub's stridently outspoken style.
The seven-member board is now sharply split again, but over the issue of year-round schooling as a solution to school crowding-a politically thorny problem because it affects predominantly minority areas of the district. But, according to current and former colleagues, Weintraub has gained the experience and skills needed to be an effective board leader.