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What the school board shift could mean for Michelle King, who was just named Superintendent of the Year
Tuesday’s election of two pro-reform school board members could mean a whole new set of challenges for LA Unified Superintendent Michelle King. The board will shift in July from a pro-union majority to one backed by charter school supporters, and some observers think that could present difficulties for King, as the superintendent is hired and fired...
By Mike Szymanski | May 18, 2017
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Election night surprise: Why Steve Zimmer conceded with only absentee ballot results
Even before any results were announced from ballots cast Tuesday at the polls, Steve Zimmer stood outside a deli in Mar Vista and conceded defeat before heading inside to hug his friends and supporters. At that point, only absentee ballots had been counted, but more than 60 percent were against him, and he didn’t see...
By Mike Szymanski | May 17, 2017
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‘Respect parents’ choices’ — Nick Melvoin lays out his priorities for Los Angeles schools
*UPDATED In his first interview after declaring victory in the LA Unified school board election, Nick Melvoin vowed to protect parents’ choices in education and to move the district beyond the charter school versus traditional school narrative. “I would like the first thing we try to tackle to be moving beyond this what we call...
By Sarah Favot | May 17, 2017
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Reformers sweep LAUSD school board elections
*UPDATED Reform-backed candidates swept the LA Unified school board election Tuesday night, unseating the board president and swinging the balance of the board toward a reform majority for the first time since 2010, according to unofficial election results. Steve Zimmer, the board president who was running for his third and final term, conceded before any results...
By Sarah Favot | May 17, 2017
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Kelly Gonez declares victory in LAUSD’s District 6 race
*UPDATED Charter teacher Kelly Gonez has won the LA Unified school board race for the open District 6 seat, according to unofficial results. “Based on the results we’re seeing, I feel confident that the voters of BD6 have voted to make me your next member of the Board of Education,” Gonez tweeted just after 12:30 a.m. With...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | May 17, 2017
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JUST IN: Steve Zimmer concedes in LAUSD board race, Kelly Gonez leading in District 6
*UPDATED LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer conceded Tuesday night in a speech before supporters in Mar Vista. “There’s no sugar-coating this,” he said. In an interview outside his campaign party right before the speech, Zimmer told LA School Report that he knew he had lost the election but will not be calling Nick...
By Mike Szymanski | May 16, 2017
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Melvoin, Gonez ahead in mail-in balloting
The first election results in the LA Unified school board race are in, for mail-in ballots. Nick Melvoin leads Steve Zimmer, 60 percent to 40 percent. Kelly Gonez leads Imelda Padilla, 52 percent to 48 percent. Going into Tuesday, 116,817 of the 866,567 ballots issued had been mailed in and processed, or 13.5 percent. That...
By LA School Report | May 16, 2017
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LAUSD board race balloting: a few complaints but no official investigations
As balloting continued Tuesday for two seats on the LA Unified school board, a few complaints about polling issues in the District 4 race surfaced on neighborhood social media groups, but the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office said no calls had been received about board race problems. As of 3 p.m., only one investigation had...
By LA School Report | May 16, 2017
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Here’s what LAUSD could buy with the $14.5 million in outside money that’s poured into the school board race
A year’s worth of arts education, or two textbooks for every high school student, or a crisp $20 bill for every student enrolled in every LA Unified school from early ed to high school, including at every independent public charter school. That’s some of what LA Unified could have bought with the massive amount of outside...
By Mike Szymanski | May 15, 2017
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Your voting primer to Tuesday’s LAUSD school board election
*UPDATED Have you heard there’s an election this Tuesday? Most likely, if you’re a regular reader of LA School Report, you certainly have, but it’s probably also likely that your friends and neighbors — or the parents you’re dropping off your kids with — have no idea there’s an election. What’s on the ballot? Two...
By Mike Szymanski | May 15, 2017