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Commentary: Vote for candidates who are committed to children
This is part of a series of essays by Los Angeles leaders and stakeholders on the importance of a high-quality education for all LA students and the May 16 school board election. By Randy Bishop I’ve always viewed education as a big equalizer. My great-grandparents immigrated to this country with nothing. Their children, my grandparents,...
By Guest contributor | May 1, 2017
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Commentary: Education is the driver of positive change
This is part of a series of essays by Los Angeles leaders and stakeholders on the importance of a high-quality education for all LA students and the May 16 school board election. By Josh Berman Education represents the cornerstone to every individual’s future successes. It provides its pupils with their initial foray into the real...
By Guest contributor | April 28, 2017
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Anger erupts over LAUSD’s lack of transparency about sharing space with public charter schools — and inflames the board election
It seems everyone is angry at LA Unified over its lack of transparency and leadership surrounding proposed co-locations of charter schools at district campuses. District staff, school board members, charter school leaders and parents throughout Los Angeles all say the number and intensity of the protests over these Prop. 39 co-locations are at an all-time...
By Mike Szymanski | April 28, 2017
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Commentary: Public education’s death spiral, and why everyone needs to vote on May 16
This is part of a series of essays by Los Angeles leaders and stakeholders on the importance of a high-quality education for all LA students and the May 16 school board election. By Loren Bendele In the 1970s Los Angeles had many of the best public schools in the world. Today, Los Angeles has some of...
By Guest contributor | April 26, 2017
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Zimmer and Melvoin face off in their first one-on-one debate. The most unruly? The audience.
*UPDATED Steve Zimmer and Nick Melvoin met Sunday evening in their first one-on-one debate, heading into the final three weeks before the May 16 runoff for the LA Unified District 4 school board seat. Moderator Dr. Fernando J. Guerra of Loyola Marymount University had to dig deep at times to find daylight between Zimmer, the...
By Laura Greanias | April 24, 2017
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Negative ad spending reaches all-time high in school board race, and candidates don’t like it
*UPDATED Negative campaigning has reached an all-time high as the nation’s most-watched school board race enters its final month. And all four LA Unified board candidates don’t like what’s being said in their name. The independent organizations including unions and charter groups that are campaigning for — and against — them have no involvement with the...
By Sarah Favot and Mike Szymanski | April 20, 2017
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For his next term, Zimmer wants to focus on school equity, charter cooperation, and attracting quality teachers
School board President Steve Zimmer said he has a lot of work left to do and plans to try to do it all in his next five-and-a-half-year term if reelected. It will be his last hurrah because Zimmer will be termed out and won’t be able to run for the board again. Zimmer said he...
By Mike Szymanski | April 12, 2017
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Mónica Ratliff endorses Kelly Gonez as an ‘independent voice’ to take over her seat
Outgoing school board member Mónica Ratliff announced Wednesday she is endorsing Kelly Gonez to take over her Board District 6 seat in the northeast San Fernando Valley. “I greatly appreciate that Ms. Gonez seeks to be an ‘independent voice on the school board,’” Ratliff said in an email to LA School Report. She made her choice after reviewing...
By Mike Szymanski | April 12, 2017
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Zimmer’s campaign contributions fall flat, as board president says he’s too busy with LAUSD work to campaign
Steve Zimmer, the LA Unified school board president who is in a heated re-election battle, has barely raised any money ahead of next month’s runoff and says he is too busy to campaign for the seat he’s held for eight years. Zimmer’s opponent, Nick Melvoin, has raised nearly 10 times as much as Zimmer since...
By Sarah Favot and Mike Szymanski | April 9, 2017
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Don’t do it: Zimmer warns fellow board members not to campaign against him
One of the toughest jobs for LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer is keeping the seven disparate voices of the board on track and headed toward their stated goal of 100 percent graduation. But to maintain that unity, he hopes fellow board members won’t weigh in against him in his campaign to win reelection in...
By Mike Szymanski | April 7, 2017