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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 world. Children receive their first exposure to social responsibility, critical thinking, and group collaboration. But above all, education plays a catalytic role. It proliferates the genius hidden within our youth. But as time has gone by, our education system has become dulled by standardization and budgeting.

Education costs have sky-rocketed, class sizes have doubled, and educators have been hampered by school boards which are deeply out of touch with the needs of their beneficiaries. In our own backyard of Los Angeles, technologies’ rapidly growing footprint combined with LAUSD’s bureaucratic gridlock may create the perfect storm of demise for the future of our communities.   

In this evolving, interconnected competitive professional landscape, public education represents the key to leveling a playing field that is riddled with inequality. Now more than ever, parents are forced to burden the higher costs of private education, as the public education system has failed to provide our kids with the tools needed to contribute in a 21st-century economy driven by Moore’s Law. Yet for many growing up in middle- and low-income families, private education is absolutely inaccessible and unaffordable. So how can we solve this problem?

The answer is found within each of us. Now more than ever, we all need to get involved in the political process that is formulating our children’s futures. There are two primary ways to get involved. First, you can go to VoteLAUSD.com and read about those who are up for election. This gives all of us an opportunity to vote intelligently on matters that strongly influence the future of Los Angeles. Second, engage with your friends in the community. Explain to them the importance of upholding their civil service. Empower them to vote for the individuals who can effect change within our dilapidated education system.

If we all come together, we can make a difference in the future of our schools. Los Angeles (one of the greatest cities in the world) deserves to again lead the nation with its education prowess. Let’s band together and create an education system that can maintain the rapid pace of our world. By doing this, we can bring back a leveled playing field and provide kids from all backgrounds and social classes an equal opportunity for success.

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Josh Berman is a venture capital partner at Troy Capital Partners. Josh has a long track record in building and running internet businesses. A founder of MySpace.com, Josh held the position of chief operating officer from 2003 until the company was sold to News Corp. Josh lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their triplets.