2022 LAUSD Elections

20 Questions For The LAUSD District 2 Candidates

Both candidates were given an opportunity to present their views on a variety of subjects. Only LAUSD parent Rocio Rivas provided answers.

“My goal is to drive the public school systems to once and for all address the core needs of our children and their families that will have a direct effect on their learning and lifelong purpose.”

- Dr. Rocio Rivas

For the first time in over a decade, voters in LAUSD’s Board District 2 are being presented with a ballot that does not include Monica Garcia’s name. Garcia, a favorite of the charter school industry who has shown open hostility to children with special education needs, is barred from running again due to term limits providing a chance for a fresh start.

In an attempt to maintain the status quo, Garcia hand-picked Maria Brenes to be her successor. Her efforts to put her fingers on the scale for Brenes have included appointing the candidate’s husband to the redistricting commission so that he could redraw the district in a way that was favorable to his wife. SEIU-99, the union that has been caught in the past legally laundering campaign money for the California Charter School Association (CCSA), has hired Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s campaign manager to create ads supporting Brenes. There are also persistent reports that Brenes has agreed to hire Garcia as her Chief of Staff if she wins the election.

Other than being able to corral parents to speak at LAUSD Board Meetings in favor of charter-school-friendly policies, little is known about Brenes. Her website is devoid of information that is useful to voters trying to make a decision and she has refused to answer any questions that I have sent to her over the course of the campaign.

In comparison, her opponent, LAUSD parent Dr. Rocio Rivas has replied to almost every set of questions in my Ask The Candidate series. These answers can be found in the following links:

• Dr. Rocio Rivas: Unpaid Charter School Debt Hurts Students
• Dr. Rocio Rivas: Removing Barriers For Children With Special Education Needs
• Dr. Rocio Rivas: A Commitment To Parent Engagement
• These Two Candidates Want Your Vote

As ballots are mailed to the voters, I gave the candidates one last chance to make their positions known to the voters along with the opportunity to make a final appeal to the voters. The 20 Questions covered a variety of topics and, in an effort to respect the candidate’s time constraints during the final days of campaigning, were designed so that they could be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” I also left room so the candidates could expand on those answers if they wanted to.

As could be predicted, Maria Brenes refused to answer. Rosio Rivas’ answers can be found below along with her appeal for your vote:

Representation:

1. The Los Angeles City Council has 15 seats. The LAUSD covers a larger geographic area but only has seven representatives. Would you support an effort to increase the number of seats on the LAUSD School Board?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

2. Many LAUSD schools have rules that prohibit students from having their cell phones out during school hours. Should the LAUSD Board have the same rule during Public Comment?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, Public Comment is the time for Board Members to be listening to the concerns, input, lived experiences and questions from all stakeholders and constituents of LA County.

3. The Brown act does not require general public comment during “special” meetings but does not prohibit it. Should the LAUSD maintain a public comment period during every board meeting?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, public comment should be available at all board meetings.

4. The Superintendent announced that there would be four “accelerated days” in the 2022–23 school year without getting input or buy-in from the community. Should there be a requirement that major changes like this one have a community comment period before being implemented?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, all affected stakeholders must have opportunity to provide input.

5. If the Superintendent position becomes vacant during your term do you commit to an open process that complies with the Brown Act and gives parents a voice before a final vote is taken to extend a contract to the selected candidate?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

6. If you vacate your position before the end of your term to assume office for another elected position would you agree to reimburse the district for the cost of a special election to pick your replacement?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

Charter Schools:

7. The North Valley Military Institute settled a lawsuit alleging “abhorrent child sex abuse” without notifying parents on the campus where they are co-located under PROP-39. Does transparency need to be increased for charter schools operating on public school campuses?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

8. Would you vote to authorize a charter school that plans to operate in a building that is not compliant with the Field Act that protects students in an earthquake?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: No

9. Would you vote to authorize a charter school that plans to operate on a site that has not undergone a complete environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Absolutely No.

10. Will you support a directive that charter schools co-locate with other charter schools before expanding onto neighborhood school sites?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

11. Will you support a full investigation for inconsistencies by the Charter School Division on the implementation of AB1505?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

LGBTQ+ Rights:

12. Should the LAUSD avoid doing business with entities that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

13. If elected will you work to rescind the LAUSD’s $6 million contract with a subsidiary of The Florida Department of Education?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, there must be a transparent decision-making process in regards to contracts and all information must be provided to board members prior to establishing such contracts worth millions of dollars.

Special Education:

14. The Aut Core program has been eliminated at many schools. Do you pledge to work with parents to reinstate this as an option during the IEP process?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, if this is a choice parents are demanding and are eligible for the program, then the option should be reinstated.

Student and Staff Safety:

15. Do you agree that LAUSD attendance policies need to be brought in line with CDC recommendations which state that “Schools should…provide excused absences for students who are sick, avoid policies that incentivize coming to school while sick, and support children who are learning at home if they are sick.”

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

16. Should the district look into programs that allow employees at the Beaudry building to work remotely when they can do so without reducing efficiency?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes

17. Will you prioritize upgrading air filtration systems in classrooms to better protect against COVID-19 and reduce harm when there are wildfires?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, our children, teachers and all school community must be able to breathe clean air. I will prioritize that all schools in BD2 have upgraded air filtration systems, particularly schools in underserved communities and near freeways.

The Hack:

18. The LAUSD is still dealing with the effects of the hack into its computer systems. Would you demand a complete public investigation of this event to find out if the district had implemented changes suggested by previous audits?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, absolutely. The District must be held responsible for maintaining a high level of security for all District data and technology systems, particularly the private information of all students and employees.

E-Choices:

19. Many parents find it difficult to navigate the E-Choices program. Will you support a re-imagining of this program?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, the E-choices program can be more user-friendly for easier navigation. Parents and guardians should be able to select their language preference, at the moment only Spanish is offered, but more languages should be offered, such as Armenian, Chinese/Mandarin, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Farsi, and Tagalog.

The Budget:

20. There are allegations that there are persistent inconsistencies in the LAUSD budget including warnings of a third-year deficit that never flows to the following year. Are you going to have a person on your staff who is capable of understanding the budget so that it can be properly vetted before you vote to pass it?

Dr. Rocio Rivas: Yes, absolutely. I will be conducting thorough meetings to discuss and analyze the budget prior to voting. My staff will possess the knowledge and experience in areas that pertain to District policy, operations and budget.

Rivas’ Final Pitch To The Voters: My priorities as an LAUSD Board Member is to begin to transform our public schools by redesigning them into RESTORATIVE HEALTHY GREEN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS where our children feel welcomed, safe, and know that they matter. We need schools that are climate resilient and have culturally rich curricula directly connecting to the lives of our children and with restorative environments and practices. The only way to change our public institutions is through public policy choices and design. I bring this IMPORTANT perspective and hold key professional experience in public policy-making essential for a board member to have and ideal to institute transformational institutional change FOR our public schools and communities. My goal is to drive the public school systems to once and for all address the core needs of our children and their families that will have a direct effect on their learning and lifelong purpose. This is my goal as a board member for BD2.

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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.