Outgoing Los Angeles Unified school board member Jackie Goldberg leaves her big shoes to fill District 5, a C-shaped expanse that includes Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, Koreatown, South Los Angeles and cities in the southeast of Huntington Park, Maywood and South Gate.
Many of these communities were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to suffer from learning loss, chronic absenteeism, and other issues. They need an advocate who is prepared to defend them and meet their objectives from day one.
Fortunately, there is an experienced, thoughtful and unbiased candidate to succeed Goldberg and provide the representation these often neglected communities deserve. Fidencio Gallardo, mayor of the city of Bell, was a classroom teacher and administrator for nearly three decades until he began working as Goldberg's deputy in 2019.
Of the four candidates running, Gallardo articulates the clearest vision for improving student performance and well-being in the wake of the pandemic. And his extensive experience puts him in the best position to get things done.
Gallardo said he plans to prioritize literacy and student achievement, which, along with attendance, have suffered greatly since the pandemic. He would continue the important work of greening school campuses that are asphalt-laden hot spots detrimental to children's health and learning.
His most recent teaching experience as an 11th grade English language arts instructor at South Gate Middle School gives him insight into the best ways the school board can allocate resources to help students who struggle with reading.
The LAUSD board appears to be overcoming years of ideological conflict between charter school advocates and the powerful United Teachers Los Angeles union. The current board has awarded Supt. Alberto Carvalho has more room for maneuver than many of his predecessors to carry out district policies, which is an improvement over his heavy hand in the past. But the board still needs members with the courage to hold the superintendent accountable and force policy changes if they are not meeting outcomes for students and their families.
Gallardo rightly criticizes some decisions by district leaders in recent years. That includes Carvalho's decision to replace the successful Primary Promise program that helps elementary students who struggle with reading and math with a new program that includes middle school students, and the board's 2021 decision to withdraw school police from campuses without a clear plan to keep students safe. .
Gallardo said he will push for more unarmed school security officers so that each campus has someone constantly responsible for keeping students safe and to give individual schools greater discretion over what type of security personnel are on their campuses. It's middle-of-the-road positions like these, which seem reasonable but are at odds with UTLA, that could be a good indication of what to expect from Gallardo on the board.
He also wants to see more educational support for children during their critical high school years, including more individualized instruction. It's a priority based on his experience as a high school English teacher who encountered many students without the reading skills to handle classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
There are three other candidates in the race: retired administrator Victorio Gutiérrez; special education teacher Karla Griego, who has the endorsement of UTLA; and Graciela Ortiz, an LAUSD administrator and Huntington Park City Council member who is supported by charter school advocates and the Service Employees International Union, Local 99, which represents classified school staff. None of them offer the same combination of skills, experience and independence as Gallardo.
Although he didn't win endorsements from charter school advocates or the two most powerful unions, Gallardo has deep community ties and a long list of prominent supporters, including Goldberg. It's an indication that voters can expect him to work for policies that better serve students rather than those that only benefit labor or charter school interests, and that makes him the better candidate in this race.
