Change The LAUSD

“I can’t support us fixing computers and stuff for a charter school co-located with a district school that doesn’t have the same technology.”

- Jackie Goldberg

Backed by Jackie Goldberg’s overwhelming electoral victory, George McKenna and Scott Schmerelson revisited their motion from last August to temporarily appoint her to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board Seat vacated by convicted felon Ref Rodriguez until the votes can be officially certified. Despite the fact that the Brown Act prohibits the Board from coordinating their actions outside of the public view, it appeared from the outset of the May 21st meeting that the decision had made in advance as Board President Monica Garcia had already given Goldberg a seat at the dais. However, the Board had to hear public comment before taking the official vote. This is what I had to say:

“Frank, please, stop talking.”

- Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem to

Santa Clarita Councilman Frank Ferry

While serving on the Santa Clarita City Council, Republican Frank Ferry was known for occasionally losing “his temper, once labeling residents opposed to growth ‘developmental terrorists.’” At another meeting, he called a constituent a “liar” after she accused him of submitting an address that was not within the boundaries of the city. During an outburst that resulted in forcing the meeting into recess, he stated that he had “not submitted an application to the state bar of California.” He reiterated that he “had not applied to the state bar, [he had] not given them an application.” Just weeks earlier he had told the local paper that he had “submitted paperwork to activate [his] license”.

Wherever he was living at the time of the confrontation, Ferry is now running for office from an address in a different jurisdiction. He is seeking to replace Mitch Englander, who left his office for a private-sector job in the middle of his term. Ferry’s campaign is chaired by a former congressman who was considered to be “corporate-friendly” and whose “significant legislative accomplishments involve the transfer of huge amounts of taxpayer money to quasi-private entities that are then liberated from government oversight.” Like the head of his party, his style of campaigning involves using narratives that are detached from reality, playing to the worst aspects of human nature and relying on personal attacks.

“We intend to bring forth a budget in June that will commit to sustaining library aides for all elementary schools for the 2019-20 school year.”

- LA Superintendent Austin Beutner

In the days leading up to the strike by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers, Board Member Nick Melvoin told parents that the teachers just wanted to “get it out of the system for a day or two” and then they would “settle on pretty much same terms that they started with.” What Melvoin did not anticipate was that hundreds of thousands of parents would keep their students out of the classroom and that many would walk the rain-soaked picket lines in solidarity with their teachers. As a result, the teachers won many of their demands that were centered on improving educational outcomes for the children of Los Angeles.

One of the outcomes of the strike is that in the coming years funding will be provided to ensure that libraries will be open in all secondary schools within the LAUSD and will be staffed with a librarian. Elementary schools were not included in the agreement because they are staffed with library aides who are represented by a different union. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner was, therefore, able to hatch a plan that forced elementary principals to choose between libraries and other vital services. This meant that some elementary schools would see their libraries closed in the next school year.

It has been 296 days since Ref Rodriguez pleaded guilty to felony charges and was forced from the  Board District 5 seat. During this time, students in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board District 5 have had no representation. Considering the fact that their former board member’s crimes were directly related to his election, these constituents have not been represented fairly since the day that Rodriguez took office. 

During the time that the LAUSD Board District 5 has sat empty:

“There’s so much underfunding of special needs kids that school districts wrongly try to not spend more than they have to. Who does that help? Nobody! It’s a real problem. Every year, the district spends more on special education than it takes in. And that should not be true.” pic.twitter.com/fssNIxxdij

— Jackie Goldberg (@Jackie4LAUSD) April 10, 2019

“Two of my daughters are on the autism spectrum. I’m an ed activist b/c of the fight that we had to go through to get them the services they needed. I support Jackie Goldberg b/c she’ll fight for my kids, and too often children like mine are left behind.”
— @ChangeTheLAUSD pic.twitter.com/cRt7pyv4qJ

— Jackie Goldberg (@Jackie4LAUSD) April 9, 2019

At least 116 Greens currently hold elected office

Name	Office	Location	Term Ends
Carl Petersen	Neighborhood Council	Los Angeles, CA	05/2021

See the complete list on the GPUS ELECTIONS DATABASE.

“I am embarrassed that there are any Board members on this Board of Education that do not take seriously that a man with three felony charges against him is still on this Board.”

- Jackie Goldberg on Ref Rodriguez

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education candidate Jackie Goldberg taught for 16 years in the Compton Unified School District. In 1983, she was elected to the LAUSD Board of Education and served for two terms. She was then elected to serve two terms on the Los Angeles City Council and three terms in the California State Assembly where she chaired the Assembly Education Committee. In the 13 years since she left the Assembly, Goldberg has continued to engage in public service and was a frequent voice of opposition to former Board member Ref Rodriguez after he was charged with felonies related to his campaign. In the primary race to replace him, she secured 48.45% of the vote.

While Heather Repenning claims in her campaign material to be a “former teacher”, the state of California does not show that she ever held a teaching credential. She is a long-time staffer of Mayor Eric Garcetti who was appointed to serve as the Vice President of the Board of Public works, a department which the LA Times has reported is under investigation by the FBI. During the primary, her supporters received a $100,000 donation from Eli Broad, who had also supported Ref Rodriguez. As the second-place finisher in the primary, Repenning received 13.17% of the vote.

“The time has come for a new era of transparency and accountability. For too long, parents, students, and taxpayers have been kept in the dark about what’s going on in District headquarters”

- Nick Melvoin (2017)

As of Monday night, the agenda for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Special Board Meeting listed a motion to approve changes to the Board rules that had been recommended by Nick Melvoin’s Rules “Committee.” Included in these proposed new rules was a reduction in the time allotted for public comment from three to two minutes per person. Much like the selection of Superintendent Austin Beutner, the proposed changes had been made behind closed doors and without public input.

After arriving two hours before the start of the meeting and securing my place as the 46th person in line, I was able to sign up for public comments about the item. However, I was notified just minutes before the start of the meeting that the item was probably not going to be heard. This was confirmed by Monica Garcia as the meeting started and she announced that she was using her prerogative as the Board President to postpone the item until a meeting in June.

“We are looking at our Board rules soon to make sure that we can hear all voices. Time of meetings and all things I think are valid concerns.”

- LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin

After working behind closed doors and without public input, Los Angeles Unified Schools District (LAUSD) Board member Nick Melvoin’s Rules “Committee” has submitted their recommended changes to the full Board of Education. While Melvoin had suggested that this committee was “a good place...to look at” expanding access of Board meetings for parents, students, and teachers, the changes suggested do not address the “time of meetings...location...wait times…equity on sides of an issue,” or any of the other issues outlined in the “Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public” resolution that was presented to the Board last September. Instead, the committee proposes that the time allotted for each speaker be reduced from three to two minutes, a change that had not been asked for.