Member-only story
2022 LAUSD ELECTIONS: Endorsements
These Candidates Would Give LAUSD Parents Power
Voting for Rocio Rivas, Marvin Rodriguez, and anyone but Nick Melvoin would put parent voices back on the Los Angeles School Board.
- Rocio Rivas’ campaign website
When Patricia Castellanos lost to Tanya Ortiz Franklin in the November 2020 general election, public school parents were denied the opportunity to be represented by one of their own on the LAUSD School Board. Like all of the other board members, Franklin does not have any school-age children. Having been backed by charter school industry support, her election gave those representing publicly funded private schools a majority on the board.
The effects of Franklin’s victory were immediate. After electing a new Board President and the Chair of the Committee of the Whole, the first action of this charter industry-backed majority was to keep the Parent Engagement and Special Education Committees from holding meetings. Not only did public school parents not have a voice on the board, but they were also shut out from participating in important forums for advocating for their students’ needs.
