George McKenna for LAUSD

The School Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is divided between those who support reform and those who oppose it, between those who want to immediately dismiss School Superintendent John Deasy and those who back him. Now is the time to elect George McKenna for the vacant board seat in LAUSD’s District 1.

Electing McKenna will bring to the School Board a healthy dose of pragmatism based on his years-long experience in various levels of K-12 education. Among the candidates to replace the late Marguerite LaMotte, there are good ones who have educational experience, like Genethia Hudley-Hayes. However, they do not have the depth of someone who has spent 50 years in L.A. classrooms and schools, like McKenna has.

On the other hand, McKenna has a very clear vision that his priority is helping educate children with fewer means and more needs. Based on this point of view, McKenna developed some original ideas and others that are not so original to help minority youths learn.

Among the priorities that he is focusing on with a lot of common sense and independence are: decreasing school drop-outs, increasing the quality of teaching (with teacher evaluations that take into account student performance, among other factors), getting parents more involved and helping the principals of inefficient schools.

McKenna, whose voice will be different from LaMotte’s, has had significant community support from the beginning. He earned this by working in schools for many years and thanks to successes like the one achieved in Washington Preparatory High School in the 1980s, an accomplishment immortalized in a Hollywood movie.

This new representative for District 1 will enrich the School Board. Vote for George McKenna for LAUSD!