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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 1/19/22

The Race Begins In LAUSD Board District 2

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Dr. Rocio Rivas
Dr. Rocio Rivas
(Image by Rocío Rivas for School Board 2022)
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"As parent of a sixth-grade son who is thriving in district classrooms, I want all families to be able to access the joy of learning, the care of trained educators, the safety of a well-run school environment, and the opportunities for diverse and lasting friendships with classmates that he has experienced." - Dr. Rocio Rivas

Monica Garcia began her LAUSD political career working for accused felon Jose Huizar when he was a school board member. Eventually, she became his chief of staff. In 2006 she was elected to succeed her former boss in a special election. When Garcia's term ends at the end of the year she will be forced to step down due to term limits and the voters in the newly redrawn District 2 will have a chance to fill the seat with new blood.

Like all of the other board members currently leading the district, Monica does not have any children attending district schools. Nor has she focused her attention on listening to the concerns of parents whose children are LAUSD students. Instead, she has been a tireless warrior for the private operators of charter schools, including those who are failing their students miserably.

Singled out for harm during Garcia's reign have been students with special-education needs. Not only has she looked the other way as the charter-school industry excluded many of these children from their schools, but she has also fought to prevent the services they need from being fully funded by the district. In the current board member's view, these students are not "our own kids".

Last week two candidates announced their intention to run and replace Garcia in the June 7 primary election. At this stage in the race, it seems that this will be a contest between the status quo and the chance for authentic change on the LAUSD board.

According to his LinkedIn profile, candidate Miguel Angel Segura first worked for the LAUSD as a member of convicted felon Ref Rodriguez's staff. Two months after leaving the district, Segura was hired by Nick Melvoin's astroturf organization, Speak Up. This was the same organization that actively worked to prevent Jackie Goldberg from being appointed as a caretaker to the District 5 board seat while a special election was held. This not only prevented constituents of this board district from having representation on the board during this time period, but it allowed Segura to remain employed by the district for an additional year. He would fit in quite nicely with the other charter-supported board members Melvoin, Kelley Gonez, and Tanya Ortiz Frankin, all of whom have had their own ethical challenges.

Running against Segura is Dr. Rocio Rivas who earned a doctorate in International and Comparative Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. She was initially hired by the LAUSD as an Educational Researcher where she "conducted research in 2 studies regarding minority students and the achievement gap." She also "supervised data collection in charter schools up for charter renewal, analyzed data and completed various charter school evaluation reports utilized by the school board to help base their renewal decision."

After conducting a vigorous campaign in the special election to replace Rodriguez in District 5 (full disclosure, I served as her campaign treasurer), Rivas decided that the students of Los Angeles would be better served if her departure from the race would ensure that a pro-charter industry candidate would not win. With that goal in mind, she requested that her supporters vote for Jackie Goldberg.

Goldberg did secure the most votes in that election and then defeated Heather Repenning in the runoff. Goldberg recognized Rivas' value and hired her as part of her staff in the role of Research and Policy Deputy.

With the recent redistricting of Board District 2, Rivas now finds herself living in this board district, qualifying her to run for the office I sought in 2017. As a parent to a current LAUSD student, she would be unique among the people who currently sit on the board. Her expertise in the subject of education also gives her insight into the field that is unmatched. Most of all, her most important qualification is her compassion.

PUC Employees inform parents and students that their school has closed. Photo courtesy of Dr. Rocio Rivas
PUC Employees inform parents and students that their school has closed. Photo courtesy of Dr. Rocio Rivas
(Image by Dr. Rocio Rivas)
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My impression of Rivas is indelibly marked by a phone call I received from her in September 2018. We had scheduled a meeting but she had been delayed by a trip to a PUC charter school that was part of the chain co-founded by Rodriguez. This school had closed unexpectedly that morning just weeks into the new school year and she had stopped by to lend support to frantic parents. I could hear the emotion in her voice as she described the desperation of the parents on sight. This was a person who cared about families whether the school was public or charter.

Additionally, it should have been the Board District 5 office, particularly the Director of Community Engagement, who should have been there for these parents in crisis. Instead, it was Rocio, a private citizen with empathy for their plight.

It is clear to me that anyone who supports our public schools and the children who attend them should back Rocio Rivas in the June primary. Her win would return a much-needed parent's voice to the decisions made during LAUSD Board Meetings and end the control that charter schools have over our public school system. I wholeheartedly endorse her candidacy.


Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He is an elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and serves as 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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