What you need to know about the candidates running for LAUSD Board District 7
By Riley Flynn
The Los Angeles Unified School District has an open seat in District 7 for the first time in 16 years following the end of Richard Vladovic’s third and final term as board president. Five candidates are running to fill it.
Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Lydia Gutierrez, Silke Bradford, Patricia Castellanos and Mike Lansing will all be on the ballot Tuesday and are all looking to gain the support of those residing in neighborhoods such as Florence-Firestone and Watts.
This change will affect LAUSD students from San Pedro to South L.A. LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation with more than 600,000 students and over 1,000 schools.
If a candidate wins at least 50% of the primary vote, they will get the seat. If not, voters will have to wait until the runoff election on Nov. 3 for results. These primary elections will take place the same day as the city council elections and presidential primaries, which has led the city to hope for a larger voter turnout than last year, which included only 9% of eligible voters.
Tanya Ortiz Franklin
Franklin is running to bring a community-driven perspective to budgeting and decision-making, according to her website. She aims to improve career preparation, prioritize highest-need communities in the budget and include students, parents, educators and staff in decision-making. A former teacher who got laid off during the recession, she used her time off to go to law school and become a special education lawyer. She got involved in the Partnership for LA Schools where she focused on supporting schools through restorative justice, social emotional learning and the arts, the website said.
Lydia Gutierrez
Gutierrez is running for this seat for the second time after losing to Vladovic in 2015 with 43.7% of the vote. She is currently a second grade teacher in Long Beach Unified School District. On her website, she says, “It is time to bring effective change at the highest decision-making level at the L.A. Unified School District.” Gutierrez is advocating for building fiscal responsibility and ensuring success after graduation and quality of education, according to the website.
Silke Bradford
Bradford is the director of charter schools for Compton Unified School District. She has been a teacher, an assistant principal and was the founding principal of LAUSD’s Henry Clay Middle School, according to her website. Bradford’s is advocating for responsible fiscal stewardship, innovation and transforming the role of schools in the community. She wants to address areas that need improvement while also being a “voice of reason,” according to her website.
Patricia Castellanos
Castellanos currently has a daughter in an LAUSD elementary school in and is the only candidate who is also a parent in the school district. She wants to lower class sizes, increase collaboration with parents and teachers and provide more nurses, classroom aids, counselors and librarians at schools. Castellanos also believes her experience as a parent and policymaker makes her fit to be an effective school board member, according to her website.
Mike Lansing
Lansing is the only male candidate for this position and the only one who has held the position before. He served on the board for District 7 in 1999 and 2003. He is running again because of his student-first mentality. He believes that he can make the tough decisions necessary in balancing an underfunded budget and aims to focus on child development and student achievement if he is reelected, according to his website. If he wins, this term would be his last on the board.
