Voters in Los Angeles Unified District 1, which includes much of South Los Angeles, Mid-City and Koreatown, need an experienced and responsive person to fill the vacant seat of retired school board member George J. McKenna III.
The best choice is Sherlett Hendy New Billwho spent decades at Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Baldwin Hills as a basketball coach, teacher and dean of students, among other jobs, before McKenna hired her last year as his education policy adviser.
She offers a pragmatic, independent approach to solving complex problems and will use her experience on campus, and as a mother of two children in District 1 schools, to make decisions that put the needs of students first, even if that means taking on teachers and staff unions and other powerful interests. That's needed on a board that in recent years has given Superintendent Alberto Carvalho more room to implement new policies but too often hasn't asked tough questions. There should have been greater scrutiny of the last-minute push to put a $9 billion bond for school construction on the November ballot and whether the district was violating Proposition 28the voter-approved law calling for increased funding for school arts.
Newbill wants Carvalho to be held accountable on major decisions, such as replacing the successful Primary Promise program that helps elementary school students struggling with reading and math before giving them time to succeed. She would continue McKenna’s work by championing the district’s program. African American Student Achievement Plan to combat educational inequalities. Continued support will be critical in District 1, which has the highest concentration of Black students in LAUSD.
Newbill has criticized the school board’s 2021 decision to remove school police from campuses without a clear plan to keep students safe, and wants each campus to decide for itself. It’s a position he’s at odds with United Teacher Los Angeles, and he believes cost him the union’s influential endorsement in the race. He also wants to expand the services schools offer to the community, including more quality after-school programs, health and mental health services.
Newbill may have similar views to McKenna, but he doesn't agree with him on everything. While McKenna voted against the school board's proposal, Plan to ban cell phones on campusNewbill supports the policy after seeing how excessive phone use contributes to bullying, fights and distraction in class and mental health problems among students.
Newbill, once seen as a long-shot candidate, outraised by other big-money candidates, came in first in the primary and is now considered the front-runner in the general election. The other candidate in the race is Kahllid A. Al-Alim, a community activist who came under fire earlier this year for liking or reposting content on social media that was anti-Semitic, pro-gun, or pornographicPreviously he had the support of UTLA, which invested money in his campaign.
Although Al-Alim apologized for his posts, UTLA abandoned his supportHis campaign website and Account X The teachers union has stopped publishing its reports and has not reported any campaign contributions or spending since the primary election, but said in a text message that it was still campaigning. Beyond that, Al-Alim’s positions, such as opposition to police presence on campus and co-location of charter schools in traditional public schools, are in line with the teachers union’s agenda.
Newbill, by contrast, has demonstrated a willingness to challenge powerful interest groups to do what is best for students and their families, a strategy that will strengthen the LAUSD board and make it more responsive to the communities it serves. Voters should give him the job.
