The Schools We Deserve

Public schools are the heart of our communities. As a community schools coordinator, I know how transformative it can be when social services are provided at our schools: healthcare, parental support, housing and immigration resources. Community Schools are not just a racial-justice based solution to some of the most deep-seated challenges that our schools continue to face. When we involve the whole school community through collaborative leadership and curriculum development, that is a strategy for transforming our schools.

Right now, students all across LAUSD are struggling with their mental health. As a mom of a young person in high school, I know investment in mental health support for students and effective training for staff are critical to creating an environment in our schools where everyone can thrive. Our counselors, psychologists, psychiatric social workers (PSWs), and others who work with our young people continue to have higher caseloads than what is reasonable; they are overwhelmed by the amount of crises at the school site on a daily basis and need more support. We need to reduce caseloads and increase the number of mental health professionals at our schools.

No one knows more about what they want and need in a school than the students, parents, and educators who use it every day. As a school board member, I will support parent-community organizing efforts and make sure that our communities are at the heart of decision-making. Historically, LAUSD has not done a good job in including the voices of our most marginalized community members when making decisions about our young people. Getting people to feel empowered takes a commitment to organizing and building trusting relationships; if elected, I am committed to staying connected to members of our community.

Historically, special education services have been neglected in LAUSD and students who often need the most support receive the least. We made big strides in the area of special education after the 2023 Educator Strike. LAUSD needs to continue to take action in order to invest fully in staffing and support for our most vulnerable student populations. LAUSD needs to be a key advocate in demanding more resources from the federal government for special education and we must support our special educators to implement the most innovative and transformative teaching practices for our students.

We cannot allow billionaires to buy our schools. Los Angeles is the epicenter of privatization and gentrification. That is not a coincidence. LAUSD has a big budget and a lot of land that billionaire privatizers want to move their charter schools onto. We need to curb the power of charter schools and keep our public schools a public good. Public schools in L.A. are the front line for ensuring those who live in our city include those who built it: poor and working-class Black people and people of color. We must fight the displacement of our communities as well as privatization.

Students fought and won a major victory by pushing the district to invest in and support the Black students in LAUSD instead of continuing to criminalize them. They argue that real safety means more mental health support, culturally relevant curriculum, more college counselors, and restorative justice. BSAP is a historic achievement that we must protect from budget cuts; it is important that we continue to invest in the resources that truly help our Black students and their teachers.

The best path to school safety is through community support and mental health resources. Research shows that students feel safe when they feel seen and welcomed and when they trust the adults on their campus. Safety is also created when students see themselves in the curriculum and are supported during mental health crises or when their families are in difficult situations. Safe Passage programs that are run by people in our communities have also proven to help students feel safe when they are walking to and from school. 

Now, more than ever, our students need to feel seen and protected in our schools. There are some who want to destroy our LGBTQ+ students’ humanity and sense of belonging for their own political gain. ALL of our students deserve to feel safe and to be their whole selves every time they step onto our campuses. We must continue to fight for our students’ rights and support others to see this as their fight as well.

LAUSD's buildings are not equipped for a changing climate. With hotter summers and worse air pollution from wildfires, we need to green our school infrastructure. This means improving cooling and heating equipment, electrifying our bus fleet and installing solar panels on our schools, removing burning asphalt and replacing it with trees and shade coverings, making sure our drinking water is clean and lead-free, and being flexible with attendance due to extreme weather. A change like this would be a huge source of good union jobs for new graduates.

Often times the policies of LAUSD are at odds with what us students, parents and educators want. We see huge handouts to testing and technology companies and schemes like vouchers and "student-centered funding" that aim to hand over district funds to corporations. We need to organize and fight back against privatization and the over-testing of our students, especially English Learners and students with IEPs. To that end, the district must have full transparency in it's funding, budget, and contracts.

As a working mom, I know how difficult it can be to find child care for little ones. The district needs to expand infant and early education centers for both employees and community members. No one should struggle financially in order to make sure their baby is safe and happy, but unfortunately child care is a huge burden for many families. More comprehensive child care would be a huge benefit to working parents across Los Angeles.