Three seats are being contested – two on the June 2 primary ballot for the seven-member Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.
The nation’s second-largest school system, with nearly 400,000 students, faces emerging challenges and uncertainties that could change the district’s direction for years.
LA Unified officials barely avoided a strike in mid-April by agreeing to significant staff increases, canceling nearly 200 layoffs and hiring hundreds of new hires for counselors, school psychologists and other student support staff. The contracts with the three district unions, including teachers, will cost about $1.2 billion a year and board members now have to find a way to pay for them amid budget pressures.
Standardized test scores have been trending upward since the lows of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering faster than the state average, but the pace remains too high for critics.
Future superintendent of LA schools. Alberto Carvalho is unsure. He is on paid administrative leave following an FBI raid of his San Pedro home and city office. At least part of the investigation focuses on a failed chatbot project that was expected to revolutionize and personalize education.
Carvalho said he had done nothing wrong and would like to return to work. If he doesn’t return — and can’t fulfill his new four-year contract — board members will select a superintendent.
LA Unified is also facing declining enrollment – leading to reduced state funding and increasing pressure to save money by closing several campuses.
Increased federal immigration enforcement has also affected enrollment and attendance, while concerns have spilled over into the classroom. Officials responded by declaring L.A. Unified a sanctuary district — both for immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, which has also been a target of some conservative groups.
Carvalho’s main focus on improving test scores has led to increased tutoring, repeated diagnostic measures, and phonics training. Additionally, the district placed a successful school bond on the ballot to continue renovations, worked to reduce student absenteeism and emphasized green campuses.
The majority of the board consists of candidates elected with the support of the powerful teachers union – United Teachers Los Angeles. This election will not change that balance as five seats are held by Sangh-friendly incumbents. But the outcome will determine whether UTLA can further strengthen its hand or whether other constituencies gain some power at the union’s expense.
UTLA is the most reliable funder of school board campaigns – and the union’s spending is not controlled by candidates.
The district’s second largest union is also making an impact in recent elections: Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union. It represents approximately 30,000 bus drivers, teacher aides, custodians, gardeners, cafeteria workers and technical support staff. This association has not yet endorsed the candidates.
One potential but underappreciated source of election-funding firepower would be charter school advocates — who once routinely outspent unions.
Retired businessman Bill Bloomfield — a charter school ally who decides for himself who to endorse — has been a big spender in recent elections, especially against teachers-union-backed candidates. He has not committed to running this school board election cycle.
The content below was gathered through reporting and surveys provided to candidates. Some responses have been condensed for clarity or abbreviated for brevity.
