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Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez, the two new members joining the Los Angeles Unified School Board, told district leadership Thursday they want to leave politics behind and focus on students. Both were elected with the help of millions of dollars from charter school supporters.
"Today is not about the results of an election but about the emergence of a new paradigm," Melvoin said during a speech after he was sworn in at the Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts. Melvoin is a product, he said, of "the coalition that arose to implore us to lead with a simple yet radical maxim: Put kids first."Â
That echoes the language in new board president and charter school founder Ref Rodriguez's res olution, which the school board is scheduled to vote on Thursday.
Melvoin did mention charters in his speech after being sworn in. He spoke about the need to close low-performing schools and put early-warning systems in place. Charter schools are publicly funded but mostly privately run, and tend to be non-unionized.
For Melvoin, a "kids-first agenda†means expanding the district's pre-kindergarten offerings, fighting for resources from the state and federal governments, and moving staff from L.A. Unified's central office to schools.
He also thanked previous board member Steve Zimmer, whom he defeated to take over the seat for District 4, covering much of the Westside.
After Kelly Gonez was sworn in, she focused more on the individual stories that led her to run for a seat in District 6, which covers the east Sa n Fernando Valley.Â
"At a time when my family really needed it, we got a second chance thanks to an LAUSD education," Gonez said as she retold the story of her mother, who earned a vocational certification from the Pacoima Skills Center.
She talked about the needs and triumphs of her students, especially those from low-income, English learner and immigrant families. She said schools should be safe spaces for immigrant families.Â
"We have the incredible privilege in LAUSD to make dreams come true," Gonez said, before saying that this school board should "turn away from the divisive politics of yesterday."
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