2022 LAUSD Elections

A Candidate Speaks

The voters finally get some insight into the views of Tracey Schroeder. Her competitor, LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin, remains silent.

“I support sponsoring and improving Special Ed policy to help students and families.”

- Tracey Schroeder

As noted in my endorsement of “Anyone But Nick Melvoin,” little is known about the incumbent’s two competitors in LAUSD Board District 4. Despite this mystery, I still felt that either of them was a better choice than the incumbent. In a worst-case scenario, their votes could just substitute for Melvoin’s stances on charter school accountability and Special Education. If the competitors held any radical stances on social issues, they would be alone on the board. This would help ensure that they could not inflict significant damage.

With mail-in ballots dropping next week, May is the last chance for candidates to participate in my monthly series on issues facing the LAUSD. Past subjects have included PROP-39 and overallocation fees, forced mainstreaming for children with severe special education needs, community engagement, and ethical issues. Last month all three candidates in Board District 4 were invited to participate in a lightning round consisting of 20 questions about a variety of issues. While these were designed to be “yes” or “no” questions, the candidates were invited to go into more detail if they felt the need to do so. They were also given the opportunity to provide a closing pitch to the voters. This was limited to one paragraph.

Of the three candidates, only Tracey Schroeder responded. In her answers, I found that there was some alignment with my priorities, particularly for the questions based on the issues of charter school accountability, special education, and community engagement. However, as the husband of a wife who is immunocompromised, I was concerned about her views on mandates. Personal belief exemptions to vaccine mandates are incompatible with ending the public health crisis that we all face. Children deserve school facilities where risks have been mitigated to the greatest extent possible.

It is a great disservice to the voters in LAUSD Board District 4 that Melvoin and Gentille Barkhordarian refused to answer the questions put before them. Their…