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So far, just three school board candidates have turned in their signatures for review and approval: sitting school board President Monica Garcia in District 2, Kate Anderson in District 4, and Maria Cano in District 6. (See: City Clerk filing status list)

Pictured above on the left, the 42 year-old Cano is running for District 6 along with others such as Antonio Sanchez, Ernie Cardenas and Iris Zuñiga. (See:Campaign ’13 Candidates To Watch).

When asked about her platform, Cano gives the impression of being a UTLA-friendly candidate.

“It’s definitely part of my platform, the importance of teachers,” says Cano.

District 6 is the sole 2013 race for an open seat. Its current occupant, Nury Martinez, is running for City Council.

Cano worked for LAUSD as a Facilities Community Relations Organizer until she was laid off. She is now unemployed. She is unmarried and without kids. Like many candidates at this early stage, she doesn’t have a website yet.

Asked about the use of test scores in teacher evaluations, she says, “I’m not supportive of them now. I don’t think they’re fair. I don’t believe that anything, to date, has been presented that we can say is fair to both sides. I certainly will support a process that will consider options down the road.”

Asked about Charters, she had this to say: “I think we need to look at our charters schools’ record, and I think we need to focus on the purpose of public school education, and to endorse charters with more oversight than we have now.”

In order to qualify for the March ballot, 500 signatures have to be verified by the City Clerk’s office.

“I wanted to get that out of the way,” says Cano, who had four people helping her to collect over 600 signatures.

UTLA has not announced any of its official endorsements yet.

Previous posts: Kate Anderson: Early Endorsement, Signatures, Campaign ’13: Candidates To Watch, Board Candidates Trickling In, LAUSD Board Filing Period Opens Monday