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Dr. Rocio Rivas: A Commitment to Parent Engagement

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This is the third in a series on engaging the LAUSD community. Please read the first part for an introduction to the issue.

"I will work tirelessly to ensure that parents' voices are heard and respected by the LAUSD Board."
"- Board District 2 Candidate Dr. Rocio Rivas

The one glaring lesson from the June primary results for the LAUSD school board elections is that the electorate is not happy with the status quo. Both of the incumbents, Kelly Gonez and Nick Melvoin, underperformed expectations with Board President Gonez being forced into a runoff election in November. In Board District 2, Maria Brenes, Board Member Monica Garcia's hand-picked successor, was more than 10,000 votes behind the first-place finisher despite outspending her opponent by over $462,000. If these results carry through to the November election big changes are coming to the LAUSD Board.


(Image by Los Angeles County County Clerk)   Details   DMCA

A chief complaint among the stakeholders of the district is the incumbents' hostility towards parent engagement. To get the views of the candidates, I sent a list of questions related to this issue. True to form, Gonez, Melvoin, and Brenes refused to answer them. District 6 challenger Marvin Rodriguez sent his response during the primary election. The answers from Rocio Rivas, who is running to replace Monica Garcia on the board, are printed below.


(Image by Los Angeles County County Clerk)   Details   DMCA

Rivas, an LAUSD parent who holds a doctorate in International and Comparative Education, makes it clear in her answers that she will emphasize parent engagement if she is elected to the board. She pledges "to ensure that LAUSD Board meetings are fully accessible to all LAUSD community members" and will work to implement the changes outlined in the proposed Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public resolution. Under Rivas' leadership "the Board of Education [will] be part of the decision making of any school closures." She also commits to making the Parent Engagement and Special Education Committees as standing committees that cannot be unilaterally shut down by the President of the Board as was done by Kelly Gonez and her predecessor.

These are the answers of a board member who would work to confront the district's status quo. It is a shame that voters are unable to compare these to the answers of her opponent. By not providing a response, Brenes displays contempt for the people she seeks to represent. Unfortunately, the feeling of being ignored is something that the residents of Board District 2 are used to.

Dr. Rocio Rivas
Dr. Rocio Rivas
(Image by Dr. Rocío Rivas for School Board 2022)
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  • Question: LAUSD Board meetings are currently scheduled during the same time that schools are in session which means that teachers and students, as well as most working parents, cannot engage with their representatives during these meetings. The Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public resolution was proposed to the board in 2019 and board members who were present at the meeting promised to look into these changes. However, no further action was taken. Do you support increasing community engagement either through this proposed resolution or through other measures?

Answer: As a public education leader, professional, advocate, and parent, I am deeply passionate about public education, and community engagement is critical to ensuring that parents' and students' voices are heard in LAUSD. Further, as the only LAUSD active parent on the Board and a working mom, I plan to ensure that LAUSD Board meetings are fully accessible to all LAUSD community members. I support the Board Meeting Accessibility to the Public resolution and will work to implement these changes to meeting times and schedules when I join the Board.

  • Q. The district announced that Pio Pico Middle School would be shut down without including parents or the community in the planning process. Similarly, the community at Orville Wright STEAM Magnet was told without warning that their school would be evicted from their newly renovated campus to make way for an independent charter school. How would you ensure that local school communities have input into the decisions that affect their students?

Answer: LAUSD neighborhood public schools are historical community-based institutions that must be preserved. For generations, families have attended their neighborhood public schools and held them in high prestige. I know how important it is for local school communities to have input into the decisions that affect their students and families. I will work on District policy that would require the Board of Education to be part of the decision-making of any school closures. Board Members would confer with their constituents on the decision-making process of school closures. The policy will also stipulate that all alternative ideas to keep schools open must be explored. Developing a shared-decision making process that includes affected school communities is essential in instituting in order to incorporate their input.

In order to prevent any school closures, I will strongly advocate and address the needs of every single school in BD2 by having my staff visit every school, which includes adult education, to gather information on all their needs and challenges in the areas of academics, budget, staffing, community issues, enrollment, and facilities, just to name a few. The data will be utilized to advocate for these needs to be met in collaboration with the Superintendent, District leadership, neighborhood and community-based partnerships. Further, I will establish various advisory committees where all voices will be represented in Board District 2 from student groups, principals, educators, classified employees, environmentalists, and pertinent community stakeholders.

The Board can and must do a better job of engaging with community members and listening to local school communities. I look forward to leading this important effort on the Board.

Answer: Yes, I do. Equality, inclusivity, and acceptance are important institutional goals that must be reflected in policy, practice, and training for LAUSD. This begins with ensuring that parents and community members have an equal say in LAUSD policies and practices that impact our children and local communities. I will do everything that I can to make LAUSD more equitable, open, and inclusive for all, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that parents' voices are heard and respected by the LAUSD Board.


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.

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Carl Petersen is a parent, an advocate for students with special education needs, an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, a member of the LAUSD's CAC, and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, the Network for Public Education (NPE) Action endorsed him, and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a " (more...)
 

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