By Wendy Lucia Lozano
Canoga Park ES
Valley West Area Chair

Our top priority as UTLA is to defend public education! We know that billionaires and anti-public education advocates are pumping money into the Los Angeles school board races in an effort to defeat our UTLA-endorsed candidate, Scott Schmerelson, and advance their agenda of privatization. This is why electing Scott Schmerelson for Board District 3 is so important.

Scott has been an educator for over 40 years and has served two terms on the school board. This year, when the district was threatening to undermine our voice in healthcare, Scott stood with us. Scott was also one of the four-vote majority needed to pass this year’s resolution to protect public schools from co-location by charter operators.

By galvanizing our strength and collective power, we can re-elect Scott and ensure that the LAUSD board continues fighting alongside UTLA to defend public education. We have an opportunity to elect our bosses, and we cannot lose this opportunity to secure public education against the privatizers.

As the Valley West Area Chair, I am asking all UTLA siblings to make electing Scott one of your top priorities in defending public education. I am asking all of you to sign up to precinct walk so we can make sure community members understand that a vote for Scott Schmerelson means a vote for public education. Talk to your chapter chair to sign up and put on your walking shoes. I will be out there knocking on every door, and I am excited to see all of you out there as well. Your participation will be key to making sure we win this election.

Read about why UTLA members are walking for Kahllid Al-Alim for BD 1 and Karla Griego for BD 5.