Alex Caputo-Pearl: UTLA Endorses Jackie Goldberg for LAUSD School Board!
This was just released by Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, which endorsed Jackie Goldberg for the vacant seat on the LAUSD school board.
The special election is tomorrow, to fill a seat left empty when a member who happened to be a charter school founder was convicted of money laundering charges.
Jackie was a teacher for many years; a member of the Los Angeles City Council; a member of the LAUSD school board; and a member of the State Assembly, where she was chair of the education committee.
Her knowledge and wisdom would be a huge benefit for the LAUSD board.
If you live in District 5, please vote for Jackie!
Alex Caputo-Pearl writes:
Educators and parents who walked our picket lines in January have been walking precincts for Jackie Goldberg. The reason is simple. Jackie will continue the battle for more school funding and against privatization. That’s why everyone in Los Angeles Unified School District Board District 5 must vote for Jackie Goldberg tomorrow, March 5.
Jackie exemplifies our struggle. She has been a teacher and she has trained teachers. She has been an LAUSD parent and is an LAUSD grandparent. She has fought for students and working families as an elected member of the LAUSD School Board, LA City Council, and California State Assembly.
Jackie can beat the millions from the billionaire privatizers in this 2019 special election, and she can do it again in the November 2020 regular election for the same seat. It takes a particular person to stand up to this – Jackie is one of these people. If no one in the field of 10 candidates gets over 50% of the vote this Tuesday, March 5, the top two candidates will go into a run-off for May. If that comes to pass, it won’t matter who the candidate is running against Jackie in the run-off — the charter industry privatizers will put millions behind that person. That is how mercenary the billionaires are – they’ll bankroll anyone to prevent Jackie from getting elected.
We need to end this on Tuesday, March 5, by getting Jackie over the 50% threshold. We need to close the door on the billionaire privatizers NOW.
Jackie builds movements. Whether through her bold leadership for the living wage or her fights for immigrant rights and racial justice, Jackie inspires and develops new leaders.
Jackie is with us on the issues. She has been a fierce advocate for class size reduction, most recently penning an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times that influenced the debate on class size during the strike. She initiated a grassroots organization calling for transparency, equity, and regulation in the charter school sector. She has relentlessly fought for more social and emotional supports for students, after-school programs, and more say for educators and parents in the curriculum. She knows from experience how to fight the fight in Sacramento for more school funding, and will push unapologetically for progressive redistribution of wealth to get it.
The victories of the LA strike give us tremendous opportunities. Jackie will walk shoulder-to-shoulder with us to implement every single one of them. She will work with us to make sure the district implements every single aspect of the class size reduction wins, and brings in every single one of the new nurses, librarians, counselors, and other health and human services staff for our students. Jackie will work with us to make sure the district follows through on its commitment to reduce standardized testing by 50% and broaden the curriculum for our students. Jackie will work with us to ensure LAUSD follows through on its MOU to invest in Community School programs that bring more supports to students and families, and involve parents from the ground level. Jackie is the perfect voice to ensure LAUSD is full-throttle behind both local and state measures to increase school funding, and to press Sacramento relentlessly for a charter school cap, which there is now legislation supporting.
We must continue building our movement to reinvest in public education.
Eloisa Galindo, a parent founder of Eastside Padres En Contra De La Privatizacion, is getting out the vote for Jackie for Tuesday in the Eastside BD 5 precincts. Fidencio Gallardo, BD5 resident, teacher at South Gate High School, and Mayor of Bell, is getting out the vote for Jackie for Tuesday in the southeast cities. Karla Griego, BD5 resident, teacher at Sotomayor Learning Complex and UTLA North Area Chair, is getting out the vote for Jackie in the northeast parts of the district. And, long-time labor leader and State Senator Maria Elena Durazo and labor and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta are getting out the vote all over the district for Jackie.
We all must join them. Let everyone you know from Eagle Rock, Atwater, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Glassell Park, Highland Park, South Gate, Bell, Huntington Park, El Sereno, Cudahy, and surrounding areas to vote for Jackie tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5. This is the most important action they can take to build on the LA strike, support students and educators, and fight for more school funding and against privatization.
We all have a part to play. Let’s continue building this movement.
