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A quarter of a century after the anti-busing movement launched her political career and 11 years after she left the Los Angeles Board of Education, Roberta Weintraub returned to the public spotlight -- and her San Fernando Valley base -- with the dedication Wednesday of her latest brainchild.
HighTechHigh-LA, which Weintraub calls her dream school, is housed in an ultra-modern building nestled into a spot on the vast campus of Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. The new charter school's college-prep, math and science-oriented curriculum draws students from across Los Angeles, including many from minority, low- income neighborhoods.
"It's the most creative and wonderful experience of my life," said Weintraub, the effervescent but tough woman who won her school board seat in a 1979 recall election at the height of the anti- busing fervor, and stayed around long enough -- 14 years -- to become more moderate, launching campus-based health clinics and innovative magnet programs and advocating healthier foods and physical fitness in schools.
Built for about 325 students, the school reflects current educational thinking on the importance of small high schools to foster individual attention, collaborative learning and courses tailored to students' talents and interests.
Building and equipping it took $13 million in public and private funds. Weintraub raised much of that herself. And she did just about everything else, from picking out the furniture and colors (lime, orange and dark blue) to hiring a well-regarded Birmingham administrator, Marsha Rybin, as principal. Weintraub serves as the executive director of the nonprofit foundation that...