23 CANDIDATES FILE PAPERS TO RUN FOR 3 L.A. SCHOOL BOARD SEATS + List of Candidates
The March election could change the course of a new teacher evaluation system, the union's dealings with charters and, possibly, the future of Supt. John Deasy. Voters will also pick community college board members.
BY HOWARD BLUME, LOS ANGELES TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/SFN0P5
November 11, 2012 :: The race for three Los Angeles school board seats — and an expected showdown between the teachers union and its opponents — began to take shape Saturday with the deadline for candidates to announce their plans to run.Depending on who wins, the Board of Education could change course on a new teacher evaluation system, on its dealings with charter schools and even on the future of L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy, one of the nation's highest-profile district administrators. Deasy's aggressive policy push has prompted the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, to oppose the school district in court. And in March, the ballot box will become another forum for settling some of these issues.
The union is the most persistent force in district elections, but it doesn't always win, and other groups also hope to shape the outcome, including the California Charter Schools Assn. and a coalition of business and civic leaders that, in recent elections, rallied together under the banner of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
In recent elections, Villaraigosa has sometimes gone head to head against the union, spearheading fundraising efforts to elect favored candidates. But he's leaving office, and it isn't yet clear if he'll try to maintain his kingmaker role — or even if he'll be able to do so.
One-term incumbent Nury Martinez, who represents the east San Fernando Valley in District 6, is widely expected to run for the City Council seat about to be vacated by Tony Cardenas, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Martinez had been elected four years ago with backing from the teachers union. But she has become perhaps the staunchest ally of●●smf: Cardenas’ seat (CD 6) – with two years remaining - will be presumably filled in a Special Election. It is not up for election in the current March Primary/May General Election cycle.
