Los Angeles Unified School District school board candidate forums (2017)
This page includes videos and information about forums held for candidates who ran in the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education elections in 2017.
District 2
The three candidates who ran in the primary election for District 2 participated in a candidate forum on February 10, 2017. The forum was moderated by students who attended the district's high schools and was planned by United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “The youth voice is lost in policy and decision-making by adults who don’t always understand the needs of students,” said United Way director of education programs and policy Elmer Roldan. “This is an opportunity for students to speak directly with candidates and share their concerns.”[1]
When asked what the biggest challenges were to implementing the district's School Climate Bill of Rights—a set of guidelines for positive behavior strategies and restorative justice—incumbent Mónica García said that budget posed the biggest challenge. At the time of the forum, the board of education was looking for ways to reduce the district's $1.46 billion deficit.[1][2]
“We have contributed to schools’ prison pipeline instead of ending it,” said challenger Carl Petersen. He said that the district had not offered support for schools when they were told to cut back suspensions. Challenger Lisa Alva said teachers in the district said there were fewer deans and campus aides. She said teachers were "dealing with many explosive and dangerous situations” when there were disruptive students in class.[1]
On the subject of bullying, Alva suggested decreasing the use of cellphones in schools. “Bullying is a problem that is pandemic. A child with a cell phone has a device that can be very, very harmful,” said Alva. She also said that suspension was not the answer. “We have to restore the bully and find out why it’s happening. It comes from a place of pain,” she said.[1]
“It’s about our youth, telling us that they want gender neutral bathrooms on one campus, or making safe space for conversations. The youth are leading the way on all social issues,” said García. Petersen said the district was acting the part of the bully. He said that “throwing good teachers in teacher jail and forcing children with severe special ed needs into general education settings and doing away with special ed centers" was a form of bullying.[1]
District 4
Forum hosted by United Way of Greater Los Angeles (February 27, 2017)
The four District 4 primary election candidates participated in a candidate forum on February 27, 2017. A video of the forum can be found below.
Forum hosted by United Way of Greater Los Angeles (February 15, 2017)
All four District 4 primary election candidates participated in a candidate forum on February 15, 2017. The forum was moderated by high school students in the district and was planned by United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The candidates were asked about school police, charter schools, and district's safe zone policy.[3]
On the subject of school police, the students asked the candidates why the district spent more money on police compared to what it spent on school counselors. Challengers Gregory Martayan and Allison Holdorff Polhill both said not enough money was being spent on counselors. Polhill said the funds spent on police should go to counselors and vice versa.[3]
“I think the amount of money we put into restorative justice is a joke,” said Martayan. He said police should monitor a school's exterior, while counselors should monitor a school's interior.[3]
“We need to work with the school police and reform our police practices. We don’t need to cut them,” said incumbent Steve Zimmer. He said the district had added more social workers and counselors, but that more wraparound services were needed.[3]
Challenger Nick Melvoin said, “We need to start treating students more like students than suspects.” He said the constant presence of police made students and families uncomfortable, especially if they were in the country without documentation.[3]
When asked about their positions on charter schools, all four candidates said they were not opposed to them. Martayan said he supported them, and Melvoin and Polhill said they supported both charter schools and traditional public school models. “We need to make sure that every student can graduate,” Polhill said. “Every single family wants what’s best for their child.”[3]
“I think a yes or no question on charters is an irrelevant question because there are so many charters here,” said Melvoin. “The question is what now and what’s next?”[3]
Zimmer said he believed there was a role for charter schools in the district. “What I’m opposed to? I’m opposed to deregulation. I’m opposed to the idea that there should be different rules for different schools,” said Zimmer.[3]
All four candidates said they supported the district's safe zone policy and pledged to protect students residing in the country without legal permission. Melvoin praised Zimmer for writing the district's safe zone policy. “I really do need to give Steve credit for taking a strong, firm stance against our president and against his divisive, illegal, unconstitutional, deplorable rhetoric,” Melvoin said.[3]
Forum hosted by Palisades Charter Schools Foundation, Paul Revere PRIDE and PTSA, and Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (February 2, 2017)
District 4 candidates participated in a candidate forum on February 2, 2017, hosted by the Palisades Charter Schools Foundation, Paul Revere Middle School's PRIDE and PTSA, and the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils. A video of the forum can be found below.[4]
Forum hosted by Speak UP (January 9, 2017)
All four candidates who ran in the primary election for District 4 participated in a candidate forum moderated by the organization Speak UP on January 9, 2017. Speak UP's mission was to "engage, educate and activate parents and community members to advocate for excellent, equitable public education at their children’s schools, in their communities, with elected representatives and at the ballot box," according to the organization's website.[5][6] A video of the forum can be found below.
District 6
A candidate forum for District 6 primary candidates was held on March 1, 2017. The forum was planned by United Way of Greater Los Angeles and was held at L.A. Mission College.[7] A video of the forum can be found below.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 LA School Report, "Student-led forum questions District 2 candidates on Trump policies, bullying and safety," February 12, 2017
- ↑ Los Angeles Unified School District, "School Climate Bill of Rights," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 LA School Report, "Students’ hot topics for District 4 candidates: school police, charters, college readiness and the undocumented," February 16, 2017
- ↑ Paul Revere Middle School, "LAUSD Candidates Forum - Dist. 4," accessed February 6, 2017
- ↑ Speak UP, "Speak UP Forum Jan. 9: First Joint Appearance For LAUSD BD4 Candidates," January 4, 2017
- ↑ Speak UP, "Vision," accessed January 10, 2017
- ↑ United Way of Greater Los Angeles, "2017 LAUSD Candidate Forums," accessed February 21, 2017
