Two elections affecting L.A. schools make for strange bedfellows
Two pivotal, looming elections are a study in contradictions for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In one contest, two powerful unions have become heated rivals; in the other, they’ve remained best of friends.
In one election, philanthropist Eli Broad remains the quintessential enemy of the teachers union; in the other, he’s become an ally.
The two elections are a Tuesday runoff for a school-board seat, followed hard by a June 4 vote for a property tax to benefit local public schools.
The atypical alignments have been accompanied by the spending of millions of dollars.
For the most part, there’s an underlying logic to the shifting alliances, said UCLA education professor John Rogers.
Parties warring over the board seat agree, Rogers said, that “Los Angeles schools are underfunded relative to the nation and relative to what L.A. students need.” They are finding “common cause” over Measure EE.
The two unions at war — and in alliance — are Local 99 of Service Employees International and United Teachers Los Angeles. Local 99 represents about 30,000 mostly lower-salaried non-teaching employees in L.A. Unified. UTLA represents a comparable number of teachers, nurses, librarians and counselors.
For the Board of Education seat, the teachers are supporting Jackie Goldberg, a former school board member and longtime elected official. Union leaders see her as the best choice to end a series of recent losses by candidates they have endorsed in school-board elections. CONTINUE READING: Two elections affecting L.A. schools make for strange bedfellows - Los Angeles Times
