The newest member of the Los Angeles Unified School Board will take her oath of office today.
Tanya Ortiz Franklin won last month’s election for the open LAUSD seat in District 7, which covers South L.A. and several South Bay communities. She’s replacing termed-out incumbent Richard Vladovic.
Franklin’s victory was politically important because it denied LAUSD’s teachers union the chance to install a majority on the board.
Deep-pocketed supporters of charter schools funded a huge ad campaign in support of Franklin, although she doesn’t have much of a history with charters. She’s a former Teach for America member who left teaching to earn a law degree. Franklin then went on to become an administrator for the Partnership for L.A. Schools, which operates several LAUSD campuses on the district’s behalf.
Three other incumbent board members will also be sworn in for new, four-year terms today: Jackie Goldberg, George McKenna and Scott Schmerelson — who won an especially expensive re-election battle for his seat in the West San Fernando Valley.
Last month, I shared a few thoughts about what the LAUSD election results could mean. You can also learn more about where Franklin stands from her pre-election Q&A with us.
By the way, school board members will also choose a new board president on Tuesday. The title doesn’t come with much extra power — but it is often a good sign of which way the LAUSD political winds are blowing.
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