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McKenna sworn in as LAUSD board’s seventh member
George McKenna, third from left, officially became the seventh member of the LA Unified school board today, representing District 1, after he was sworn in by Rev. Jesse Jackson, left. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, second from left, and Danny Bakewell, publisher of the LA Sentinel, far right, also participated in the brief ceremony, which preceded the...
By LA School Report | August 26, 2014
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Ridley-Thomas nominating Johnson to county board seat
* UPDATED Barely a week after losing to George McKenna for an LA Unified School District board seat, Alex Johnson is eying another board seat. His former boss, LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, has nominated him to fill a soon-to-be vacant seat on the LA County Board of Education, a body that hears appeals of...
By LA School Report | August 20, 2014
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McKenna’s final margin is 5.63 points over Johnson
The City Clerk Elections Division has certified the results of the LA Unified District 1 election, giving George McKenna final tally of 52.81 percent of the vote, to 47.18 percent for Alex Johnson. Overall, turnout for the Aug. 12 runoff was 9.5 percent of the district’s 342,493 voters, a disappointing but not horrible count, given...
By LA School Report | August 19, 2014
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Another Johnson (Daymond) lining up for LAUSD District 1
Days before Marguerite LaMotte died last December at the age of 80, Daymond Johnson, a school safety officer and consultant, filed papers with the City Ethics Commission to run for her LA Unified District 1 board seat when her term expired in 2015. Whether she intended to seek reelection or not, his rationale was to...
By Michael Janofsky | August 14, 2014
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McKenna victory gives appearance of a pro-teacher union board
*UPDATED George McKenna’s victory over Alex Johnson last night would appear to return control of the seven member LA Unified school board to teachers union-backed members. McKenna’s win shifts the balance of the board to a majority owing their seats, in large part, to financial support by UTLA and its ability to mobilize members to get...
By Vanessa Romo | August 13, 2014
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The big losers last night? Independent groups for Johnson
Fun with numbers: By the LA City Clerk’s unofficial results from last night, George McKenna won with 14,940 votes to 13,153 for Alex Johnson. That translates to $6.79 the McKenna campaign spent for each vote, $101,479 overall, compared with $10.22 that the Johnson campaign paid for each vote, $134,470 overall. Among the independent groups who spent...
By LA School Report | August 13, 2014
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McKenna or Johnson: It’s now in voter hands, but how many?
Tomorrow is election day. After eight months without a representative on the LA Unified school board, residents of District 1 will once more have equal representation with the other six members, maybe by the end of the week. The new member replaces the late Marguerite LaMotte and will join the board after the vote count...
By Michael Janofsky | August 11, 2014
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Where is McKenna on LAUSD issues? He wouldn’t say
With LA Unified’s District 1 election approaching, LA School Report asked each of the candidates, Alex Johnson and George McKenna, a series of questions about some of the bigger challenges facing the district. The effort was based on the fact — an unfortunate one for voters — that the two have not appeared together for a policy debate since...
By LA School Report | August 8, 2014
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Johnson: LAUSD needs more graduates, fewer dropouts
Since the June 3 primary that produced Alex Johnson and George McKenna as the finalists for LA Unified’s District 1 board seat election on Aug. 12, the candidates have engaged in no public debates that would give voters a better opportunity to learn their views on contemporary issues. As a result, LA School Report has...
By LA School Report | August 7, 2014
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Teachers go negative on Johnson, call him an education ‘rookie’
Until recently, only one group had gone negative in the campaign between Alex Johnson and George McKenna for the open LA Unified school board seat. The African American Voter Registration, Education and Participation Project (AARVEP), which supports Johnson, sponsored three mailers, calling into question McKenna’s background as a school administrator, prompting the McKenna campaign to...
By LA School Report | August 6, 2014