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DSA-LA Politics Committee Recommendation on LAUSD Board of Education Election

School board elections are incredibly important as they enable democratic oversight over
approximately hundreds of billions of government funds[1]. A well-managed public education is
one of the best ways to empower citizens, regardless of race or class.

Currently, the public education system is under attack. Nationally, new Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos is advocating for a school voucher program. Across the country, local charter
school lobbies are increasingly privatizing the public education system, taking control of federal
education funds for profit while removing democratic oversight. The charter school agenda
includes weakening teachers unions, which continue to be among the strongest unions
nationally and are consistent advocates for progressive values[2]. As Democratic Socialists, we
reject any movement that seeks to privatize industries to further capitalist profit, especially one
that removes democratic oversight, and we stand in solidarity with workers unions.

On March 7th, LAUSD will hold primary elections for the Board of Education, with a
subsequent top-two general runoff election in May. The DSA-LA Politics Committee
recommends voting for candidates STEVE ZIMMER for Board of Education District 4 and
IMELDA PADILLA for Board of Education District 6 for the following reasons:
Zimmer and Padilla believe that public education should be a public good that is
not for private profit. Both have been endorsed by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)[3].
Opponents of Zimmer and Padilla, as well as PACs dedicated to defeating
Zimmer, are funded by conservative billionaires[4][5]. The local charter school lobby, the
California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), spent over $17 million on legislative races
last year more than any lobby in California including oil and other business groups[6].
If both Zimmer and Padilla are replaced by pro-charter candidates, then pro-
charter board members will hold a majority on the 7-member LAUSD Board of Education.
This will set up Los Angeles public education system for rapid privatization.
A pro-charter victory would serve capitalist interests, remove democratic
oversight of schools and weaken teachers unions. This would seriously hurt students and
residents of Los Angeles and would be a major defeat for socialist values.

This race is not about whether LAUSD is perfect its not, or whether Zimmer and Padilla are
the perfect candidates theyre not, or whether charter schools do good work many do. At
stake is the very existence of public education in Los Angeles. The LAUSD Board of
Education has the power to push students and funds towards charter schools; should
the charter lobby win a majority on the LAUSD school board, there will be a push to fully
privatize Los Angeles schools.

The District 4 race illustrates the charter lobbys goals. Steve Zimmer, the current LAUSD
School Board president who was a LAUSD teacher, actively supports publicly-controlled public
education and its teachers, including past participation in civil disobedience in solidarity with
LAUSD service workers[7]. The CCSA, which is funded by billionaire Republicans including
former Los Angeles Mayor Riordan, the Wal-Mart heirs and Michael Bloomberg, has been
funding an incredibly negative and deceptive campaign against Zimmer [8][9]. The CCSA has
funded two pro-charter opponents in the hope of boxing him out of the general race[10].

A pro-charter majority school board would be a disaster, as privatized schools are able to
operate for executive profit rather than public good[11]. At greatest risk are students that are
the most disadvantaged, including children with disabilities and children in foster care,
as privatized schools may turn away or refuse to educate those who need the most
educational support[12][13]. Mass privatization would also dramatically reduce the size of
teacher's unions by promoting the growth anti-union, privately managed charter
organizations.

Additionally, LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the country with a budget of $15
billion and 32,000 unionized teachers and other workers, all which are under democratic
oversight[*]. Should LAUSD move towards full privatization, it will be the biggest district to fall in
the national education privatization fight. This could be the tipping point in the battle to control
the United States $600 billion dollar education budget a fresh new market for neoliberal
privatization. As DSA continues to fight for socialist goals such as single-payer healthcare, we
must not lose sight of defending our past socialist successes including public education.

Despite millions of capitalist dollars in these races, the LAUSD school board elections have very
low turnout. In 2015, under 8% of those registered voted in the school board election, under
75,000 votes for three races[14]. DSA-LA could significantly influence results through:
Voting: Find your school board district by referencing this map, entering your
address into this tool, or referencing the March 7th election sample ballot. Zimmers 4th
District encompasses the west side of L.A., including parts of West Hollywood, Hollywood,
and the San Fernando Valley. Padillas 6th District encompasses the northeast San
Fernando Valley, including parts of North Hollywood, Sylmar, Panorama City, and
Crescenta Valley.
Canvassing: UTLA is organizing phonebanking and canvassing sessions for
Zimmer and Padilla in advance of the March 7 election. All members, including those who
dont live in the these districts, are encouraged to participate.
Unless a candidate wins a majority vote, Zimmer and Padilla will likely face pro-
charter opponents in the run-off general election in May. In anticipation of this, the DSA-LA
Politics Committee will be organizing canvassing sessions for these candidates. All
members are encouraged to participate and those interested should email Sam Dean at
samd.dsa.la@gmail.com and specify which neighborhood they live in.

The DSA-LA Politics Committee calls on all members to mobilize for Steve Zimmer for LAUSD
District 4 and Imelda Padilla for LAUSD District 6 by voting, if eligible, and canvassing. In doing
so, we stand in solidarity with unions and against privatization in order to protect all of Los
Angeles families and children, especially the marginalized and disadvantaged children who will
be inevitably left behind in a capitalist education system.

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