Los Angeles: The LA Times Prefers a School Board Member with Neither Experience Nor Knowledge
The Los Angeles Times wrote an editorial endorsing Heather Repenning over Jackie Goldberg for the LAUSD seat in a special election. The editorial admitted that Jackie Goldberg has the experience and knowledge that her opponent lacks but the Times preferred a blank slate.
Repenning admittedly knows little about education issues but she previously worked as an aide to Mayor Eric Garcetti. In the primary, and she said she would not take charter money. Now that she is in a runoff with the far better qualified Jackie Goldberg, Repenning has decided that it is okay to take money from the charter billionaires.
The Times lauded her as independent. The fact that she is now the favorite of people like billionaire Republican Bill Bloomfield is evidence that she is not independent. She will cast her vote, if elected, to support the Eli Broad privatization and Disruption agenda.
The Times posted some of the letters to the editor that it received objecting to its endorsement of an unqualified candidate, including one from me.
One letter came from a retired principal, who wrote, “The Times is repeating the mistake it made when it endorsed Ref Rodriguez in 2015 and other candidates bought and paid for by billionaire privatizers.” Rodriguez operated a charter chain at the time of his election, but was removed from the board after he was convicted on felony counts for campaign finance violations. He did not step down until the board had selected the unqualified, inexperienced Austin Beutner as superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district.
This is the Times’ description of Jackie Goldberg:
“She’s brimming with experience, smarts and humor — and connections. She’s been a teacher and served as a member of the school board, the City Council and the state Assembly, and she knows everyone involved in the world of education in California. To say that her chances of winning the May 14 runoff are high would be an understatement.
”Nor would it be a terrible thing if that happened. Goldberg’s institutional memory and her talent for digging to the heart of an issue would be of value to the board.”
So why didn’t the Times endorse her? Because the teachers already endorsed her.
Educators know and trust Jackie.
The charter billionaires know and trust her opponent.
I say to the voters of District 5: Vote for the candidate with experience and knowledge.
Don’t let the billionaires buy another seat on the school board.
Vote for Jackie Goldberg on May 14.
She will represent you, your children, and your schools, not Eli Broad and the other billionaires.
Los Angeles: The LA Times Prefers a School Board Member with Neither Experience Nor Knowledge | Diane Ravitch's blog
