Charter schools vs teachers union: A high stakes L.A. school board election takes shape
The candidates are confirmed and the upcoming Los Angeles school board races are all but certain to make for a high-stakes election cycle that will pit teachers and their allies against backers of charter schools for influence over the nation’s second-largest school system.
The March election, in which four of the seven board seats are up, comes at a critical juncture for the L.A. Unified School District, which is struggling to make progress academically against the backdrop of budget problems and political instability. District leaders have been focused on raising low student achievement, especially among black and Latino students, and are looking for ways to help low-income families meet basic needs for students’ healthcare and food, as well as family housing.
The campaigns will be the first since a new state law gave school boards more power to deny petitions for new charter schools. Charters are privately operated, taxpayer-funded public schools, most of which are non-union. The new law amplifies the pressure on school board campaigns that have been the most expensive in that nation.
“The upcoming election is crucial for charter backers,” said Charles Kerchner, professor emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, who has written extensively about L.A. Unified. “New state laws give local districts greater discretion in denying petitions for charter schools, and they limit the appeals from local school boards to CONTINUE READING: Charter schools vs teachers union: A high stakes L.A. school board election takes shape - Los Angeles Times
