Representation For The Highest Bidder

“We now have a political situation where billionaires are literally able to buy elections and candidates. Let’s not kid ourselves.” - Sen. Bernie Sanders

Constituents interacting with their elected representatives is essential to the democratic process. Therefore, an event where an LAUSD School Board Member appears before the public to discuss the state of her local district should be applauded. Unfortunately, Tanya Ortiz Franklin did so behind a paywall. Unless you were willing to pay $35, you were not invited.

In a district where 80% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, a $35 fee is a significant hurdle to be able to hear how our children’s public schools are doing. While business interests in the Chamber of Commerce get to interact with and influence the board member, most of the parents whose children attend public schools are left out in the cold. Is it any wonder that so many LAUSD families feel unheard?

It should be no surprise that Franklin puts representation of business interests over the needs of children. She was not elected with grassroots support but with money from billionaires supporting the charter school industry. Despite the fact that LAUSD Board Members do not represent the publicly financed private schools of the California Charter School Association (CCSA), those supporting this organization spent over $5 million to elect Franklin in 2020.

These same billionaires are also spending heavily in the 2022 election cycle. With the election more than a month away, over $300,000 has been spent on Board President Kelly Gonez as she defends herself against LAUSD teacher and parent Marvin Rodriguez. In Board District 2, forces aligned with the charter school industry have spent almost $3 million promoting Monica Garcia’s hand-picked successor, Maria Brenes. Some of this money was spent on ads created by Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s campaign manager, Javier Gonzalez.

In November’s election, parents in the LAUSD have a chance to send a message to the board members who are supposed to represent them. If elected, the candidates backed by the charter school industry will continue the status quo where parent engagement is blocked. Their opponents, Marvin Rodriguez and Rocio Rivas, are LAUSD parents who have committed themselves to increasing opportunities for parents to interact with the district. They will not charge parents money for these engagements.

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.