Steve Zimmer, Nick Melvoin, Katie Braude, Greg Martayan and Allison Holdorff Polhill at a candidate forum on Monday sponsored by Speak UP.

The latest campaign finance reports in the LA Unified school board races are in and the records show that the most money by far has been raised in the District 4 race where board President Steve Zimmer is running for re-election.

A total of $781,646 has been raised by the candidates in the three board races, with nearly two-thirds going to the District 4 race.

In addition, the first outside money has now entered the race. The report shows one payment by an independent expenditure committee, all of it going to support Zimmer.

A group called “Students, Parents, and Educators in Support of Padilla and Zimmer for School Board 2017, sponsored by Teachers Unions, including United Teachers Los Angeles” spent $150,000 to support Zimmer, LA City Ethics Commission records show. The group hasn’t spent any money on Imelda Padilla, who is running for the District 6 seat. Padilla was endorsed by UTLA in October.

There is sure to be more money pouring into the race by independent expenditure committees. In 2015, $1.8 million was spent by outside groups during the primary election. An additional $3.4 million was spent during the general election that year. In 2013, when the same seats that are now up for election were voted on, independent expenditure committees spent $5.3 million in the primary.

The primary election will be March 7. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes, the top two vote-getters will compete in the general election on May 16.

Fundraising by the four candidates in District 4 has totaled more than $490,000. District 4 spans from the Westside of Los Angeles through West Hollywood to East Hollywood and portions of the San Fernando Valley, including Tarzana, Topanga, Woodland Hills and Encino.

Nick Melvoin, who announced his candidacy in February and had raised $124,344 as of June 30, continued to lead in fundraising bringing his total contributions to $270,031 as of Dec. 31. Zimmer raised $85,392 as of Dec. 31, a significant increase from the $7,304 he had raised as of June 30. Allison Holdorff Polhill, who was the last to announce her candidacy, raised $72,591 as of Dec. 31. Gregory Martayan raised $62,225.

“Every donor is crucial to the grassroots nature of this campaign and I am grateful for the continued support,” Melvoin said in a news release announcing his fundraising total. “Every day I have the opportunity to connect with families throughout District 4. I hear their concerns and disappointments with the current board and I know that if elected we can work together and bring the focus back to the kids.”

• Read more: LAUSD District 4 school board candidates meet in first forum, discuss charters, finances

Mike Stryer, California senior executive director at Teach Plus, noted the number of individual donations to Melvoin’s campaign outpaced his opponents. Melvoin has received about 895 individual donations; Zimmer has 190; Polhill has 156, and Martayan has 105, records show.

“The breadth of support in a low-turnout election is critical and particularly in an election that promises to be competitive,” Stryer said.

Stryer, who has given $500 to Melvoin’s campaign, said he believes the most money and attention is on District 4 because there is a clear difference between the candidates and because Zimmer is an incumbent and board president.

“Voter turnout for school board elections is always challenging following a presidential election, that being said, I think certainly in District 4, the strength of the candidates and the passion around key issues, I think, will lead to perhaps higher turnout than might be expected,” Stryer said.

• Read more: Zimmer, Melvoin condemn District 4 phone survey that brings up LAUSD child molestations

In District 6, which is an open seat because incumbent board member Mónica Ratliff is running for City Council, Kelly Gonez is leading the fundraising race. She raised $72,182 as of Dec. 31. Araz Parseghian raised $37,110 and Padilla has raised $27,441.

“I am so grateful for the support and excited about the momentum we are building,” Gonez said in a news release announcing her total fundraising. Gonez entered the race in October.

District 6 covers the east San Fernando Valley.

In District 2, incumbent school board member Mónica García has a commanding lead in fundraising. She has raised $148,198 as of Dec. 31. Lisa Alva has raised $3,785 and Carl Petersen has raised $2,050. When Petersen unsuccessfully ran for the District 3 seat two years ago, he raised $2,160.

García also led fundraising as of the June 30 filing deadline. In her 20113 re-election bid, García raised a total of $504,224. She is the longest-serving member of the school board and is seeking her final term.

District 2 includes downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park, East LA and Boyle Heights.

Of Zimmer’s 190 individual contributors, 27 identified themselves as working for LAUSD. Donors to Zimmer’s campaign also included Local 770 United Food and Commercial Workers Union PAC, Service Employees International Union Local 99 Candidate PAC, Teamsters Local Union No. 572, Laborers’ Local 300, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 761 PAC.

Some of the same people, including wealthy supporters of education reform, contributed to both Melvoin’s and Polhill’s campaigns, like Eli and Edythe Broad, of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, Susan and William Bloomfield and Frank Baxter. Former LA Mayor Richard J. Riordan also donated to both campaigns.

Polhill contributed $5,000 to her own campaign. Eighty-five of Polhill’s 156 donors live in Pacific Palisades, where she has served on the school board of Palisades Charter High School.

About one-quarter of Melvoin’s donors live outside California.

Martayan’s donors include jewelers, homemakers, physicians, attorneys and businesses like Mediwaste Disposal LLC, Casa Automotive Group and HDA Trucking LLC. Many of his donors live in the San Fernando Valley communities of Northridge, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Sun Valley and Woodland Hills as well as Glendale.

Padilla’s contributors include LA School Police Management Association, Los Angeles College Guild, Los Angeles School Police Association, San Fernando Valley Young Democrats, and US Journeymen & Apprentices Local #250. Nineteen of her 96 individual contributors work for LA Unified.

More than half of Gonez’s financial backers live outside California. Many of them work for the U.S. Department of Education. (Gonez worked as an education policy advisor in the Obama Administration.) The Broads, Bloomfields and Baxter also contributed to Gonez’s campaign.

García’s financial backers include the Broads, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings, David Geffen, Frank and Kathrine Baxter and Marcia Aaron, executive director KIPP LA Schools. García has about 280 individual donors.

The next filing deadline for campaign finance reports with the city Ethics Commission is Jan. 26 for activities from Jan. 1 through Jan. 21.

Steve Barr was a panelist at an education forum hosted by The 74 and LA School Report at East Los Angeles College in October.

Steve Barr showed up at the city Election Division office downtown just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 7, the deadline to turn in signatures to qualify for the 2017 municipal ballot, with 878 signatures and a $300 check in his hands.

“I had been thinking about it all day,” he said in his only interview since deciding to drop out of the Los Angeles mayoral race.

He said he was concerned about the timing of mounting a successful challenge to an incumbent mayor just months after a presidential campaign that dominated news coverage and left many funders weary of politics and financially dried up.

Barr stood outside the building on the phone with Mike Trujillo, a political consultant and a supporter.

“I told him, ‘I’m not seeing that I’m going to be able to have the resources to put up a fight here,'” Barr recalled.

It was 10 minutes to 5 and a man was holding the door open to the building. Barr looked at him and said, “I’m good,” turned around and walked back to his truck.

Barr’s exit from the contest will likely take with it education as a major issue in the mayor’s race. Barr is the founder of Green Dot Public Schools, a national network of charter schools that started in LA.

“I think, while Mayor Garcetti may disagree, he’s never made educating the black and brown students of inner Los Angeles a priority, and I doubt he’s going to make it a priority now,” Trujillo said Tuesday.

Garcetti’s campaign consultant Bill Carrick declined to comment for this article.

Political consultant John Shallman said he thinks education will drop off the radar of the mayor’s race.

“I really don’t think Eric Garcetti is going to have any trouble winning re-election,” he said. “I don’t expect there is going to be a vigorous challenge by anyone.”

He agreed Barr was a long-shot candidate, considering Garcetti has “played it pretty safe” and hasn’t had any major controversies.

Shallman agreed it would have been an uphill battle for Barr to mount a competitive campaign, considering the significant focus on federal politics rather than local elections.

“I would expect that he would have a very difficult time,” he said. “It’s a Democratic city, primarily, and the city, as the rest of the Democrats in California, were kind of in mourning. I’m not sure people fully recovered to try to get it together since that time.”

He said any serious contender against Garcetti would likely have to self-fund a campaign.

City Ethics Commission filings show that Barr raised about $18,000 as of Sept. 30 and spent about $34,000.

Garcetti has $2.25 million in his campaign war chest. The next competitive candidate in terms of fundraising is Mitchell Schwartz, who raised $255,000 as of Sept. 30. Schwartz is a Democratic political strategist who directed Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign in California.

Barr said he felt he needed to raise $250,000 to run a competitive campaign.

The presidential race was “all encompassing” and costly for funders whom Barr reached out to after Nov. 8, he said.

With the city’s primary election just four months after the presidential election, Barr said the people he spoke with didn’t even want to talk politics.

“It just sucked the life out of any conversation, of ‘Oh, let’s talk about Los Angeles,’” Barr said, adding, “I underestimated how dominating this (presidential) campaign would be.”

Barr said he believes Garcetti is “vulnerable” and has “done very little on the meat and potatoes issues” like education. Unlike in cities such as New York and Chicago, the mayor of Los Angeles has no authority over the public school system. That duty falls to the seven elected school board members.

Three seats on the LA Unified school board will also be decided. The primary is March 7, and the general election is May 16.

The school board races also suck up a lot of money. In 2015, candidates and outside groups poured about $6.5 million into the four races, city Ethics Commission filings show. Two years earlier, candidates and outside groups spent about $7.5 million.

But Barr believes education shouldn’t be separated from the mayor’s role.

He said the first questions on anyone’s mind when they move into an area are: “How are the schools, and can I afford to live there?”

Los Angeles does not measure up on those responses, Barr said.

“I have the right message for the right time, it’s just the clutter and the closeness of the municipal election to the presidential, and not just any presidential… People are still seeking therapy,” he said, referring to Donald Trump’s victory.

Garcetti, first elected in 2013, seeks his second and final term, due to term limits.

It will be a 5.5-year term as Los Angeles voters in 2015 approved a ballot measure to consolidate municipal elections with state and federal elections.

Garcetti joined Superintendent Michelle King, school board President Steve Zimmer and other officials at a news conference on the first day of school where he promoted the Los Angeles College Promise, a partnership between the city, LA Unified and Los Angeles Community College District to offer a free year of community college to district graduates.

In January, the LA Weekly first reported that Barr was considering a mayoral run. He officially threw his hat into the ring in April. He vowed to make the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District a cornerstone of his campaign, along with homelessness and affordable housing.

Barr pointed to the 2005 race when challenger Antonio Villaraigosa ousted incumbent Mayor James K. Hahn, becoming the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles. Education was a central issue of that campaign.

Trujillo has worked for Villaraigosa, including on his 2005 campaign. He said Villaraigosa had the advantage of being an elected official and having name recognition when it came to fundraising for his mayoral bid.

Villaraigosa, a high school drop-out, also “spoke to the hearts and minds of LAUSD students” and their parents with his personal story of how LA Unified can be a safety net, Trujillo said. Villaraigosa eventually graduated from Roosevelt High.

Trujillo said with Barr’s experience appealing to parents to join Green Dot, he could also connect with voters who are dealing with the public school system.

Villaraigosa, a former California Assembly speaker, attempted to take over LA Unified through state legislation, but after the school district sued, a Superior Court judge ruled the law was unconstitutional and violated the Los Angeles City Charter.

As mayor, Villaraigosa actively campaigned and raised money for school board candidates. He created the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools that takes over historically underserved schools. It is a unique collaboration in which its 19 schools remain under the district but are given additional resources from the Partnership.

Barr founded Green Dot Public Schools in 1999. He led the group in its successful takeover of Locke High School in Watts, the first time a district school was handed over to a charter school operator in LA. Barr left Green Dot in 2011. He is now chairman and CEO of Future Is Now, which he founded. The organization is focused on teacher training programs and state legislative advocacy.

He has a long career of political activism, working for the 1984 Summer Olympics torch relay and Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in the 1980s. In 1990, he co-founded Rock the Vote, a national campaign to encourage youth to vote.

But Barr hasn’t given up on a future mayoral race.

“I think being the mayor of a city like this would be one of the greatest jobs,” he said. “I think I would bring something completely different.”

Barr said if he were mayor, he would be able to bring together two divisive factions in education: teacher unions and education reformers, who support charter schools. Teachers at Green Dot charter schools are unionized. There is even a parent union.

United Teachers Los Angeles and California Federation of Teachers unions endorsed Garcetti in 2013 over his opponent Wendy Greuel, the former city controller and a fellow Democrat. Greuel won the endorsement of other city unions like firefighters and police officers.

Barr said he would make LA Unified schools an attractive place to teach with teacher training programs, higher salaries and housing vouchers. He said he would cut the district’s bureaucracy in half.

He said if he faced resistance, he could challenge the city charter through a ballot initiative to give the mayor more authority over the schools.

Ten candidates are challenging Garcetti, according to the city clerk’s certified list of candidates released Monday.

Three LA Unified school board seats are also up for election. The longest-serving board member, Mónica García, faces a challenge from Carl J. Petersen and Lisa Alva in Board District 2. Board President Steve Zimmer is challenged by Nick Melvoin, Gregory Martayan and Allison Holdorff Polhill in District 4, and six candidates are vying to replace Mónica Ratliff (who is running for City Council) in District 6: Kelly Fitzpatrick-Gonez, Jose Sandoval, Patty Lopez, Gwendolyn R. Posey, Imelda Padilla and Araz Parseghian.

Board members George McKenna and Mónica García at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Never uttering the word “Trump,” the LA Unified school board held a day’s worth of board meetings Tuesday that delicately reflected the anxieties of their constituents and a general upheaval of emotions in the education system over the past week since the election results.

Then, they doubled-down by unanimously passing a resolution declaring that they would not cooperate in any federal roundup of undocumented families.

The resolution, called “In the Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness: Embracing Education as a Pillar to Democratic Progress,” was co-sponsored by Mónica García and board President Steve Zimmer, who are often at odds, and who are the only ones running for re-election on the seven-member board.

The resolution doesn’t even mention the president-elect by name, but it reaffirms the district’s commitment “to continue to protect the data and identities of any student, family member, or school employee who may be adversely affected by any future policies or executive action that results in the collection of any personally identifiable information to the fullest extent provided by the law.”

Every board member had a few items to toss into the resolution. Monica Ratliff, who was leaving for an evening neighborhood council meeting she was scheduled to speak at, wanted each school site to have some autonomy in how to celebrate a proposed “day of understanding across LAUSD which will encourage students, families, staff and community partners to explore student and individual rights, the history of civics and coalition building, as well as the struggle to make progress in light of adversity, empowering and recognizing the importance of student leadership and activism.”

George McKenna, the only African-American on the board, wanted to make sure that the school board was not putting school principals in danger of getting arrested if federal agents were to come to their campuses.

“I don’t believe we have the authority to resist that if the feds come on campus, and we don’t want any staff member to be arrested,” McKenna said.

But the second-largest school district in the country that is responsible for 665,000 children and is 74 percent Latino is aware of its clout, and they plan to send a letter to the president-elect signed by the superintendent, the school board and any students, families, staff and community members who want to add their names.

Donald Trump has vowed to deport immigrants who are not documented and threatened to defund what he termed “sanctuary” cities and schools. The Los Angeles police and school police chiefs say they have no plans to cooperate or be involved in any federal raids or investigations. LA Unified has a policy against asking a student’s immigration status, or that of a student’s family, so there are no statistics of how many undocumented students there are in the district.

UTLA, the teachers union, plans to reach out to families beginning Dec. 1 in Spanish media to address fears over immigration status and deportation concerns.

SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias, whose union covers cafeteria workers, janitors, bus drivers and special education workers said, “By adopting this resolution, the school board sends a strong message of support and reassurance to our students, our families and our communities.”

Arias added, “Children cannot learn when they are scared or anxious or uncertain about their family’s future.”

Superintendent Michelle King noted there are suggestions available for families on the school’s website gathered in a section called Post-Election Resources on how to talk to children after the election. “We are constantly adding to it and uploading what is helpful from other districts,” King said.

To soothe fears, King recorded a robocall sent to all homes saying, “Although it has been nearly a week since the presidential election, we understand that many students remain concerned about the outcome and want their voices to be heard. These are important conversations that need to take place. Our schools are utilizing assemblies, classroom dialogues, open-mike activities and our restorative justice programs to provide a secure forum for our students. However, it is also critical that students not allow their sentiments to derail their education.”

She asked that parents encourage children to follow the law and remain on campus, unlike the demonstration that took place on Monday where a few hundred students marched off campus.

King and Zimmer said they stopped in at the School Enrollment Placement and Assessment Center on the morning after the election to see how staff members were dealing with concerns from families.

Zimmer related some dramatic stories that he and King heard first-hand from families, such as a mother who was held at a deportation center with her children on the Texas border, and an unaccompanied minor who was coming in from Guatemala.

“My office is flooded by teachers and counselors expressing the anxieties and concerns from the families they serve,” Zimmer said. “We will address them with our front line services and intervention teams. We have to take care of ourselves and others.”

Kicking off the discussion of the resolution, board member García showed a protest music video that students from Stevenson Middle School created with the Black Eyed Peas and said, “There are many conversations that are taking place among our young leaders and employees and brother and sisters, and there are those who are filled with questions. We welcome that, and today’s resolution is affirming and confirming we are in solidarity with young people and employees and families in this most important message. Education is the way.”

“On Wednesday morning, the superintendent and I listened to children and heard things that shook us deeply,” Zimmer said. “It is important for us to realize amongst our students and their families, amongst our school employees and school families, there is real anxiety and real fear and we all have an important role to play to make sure that if every child who is scared was our child, our son, our daughter, our brother or sister, our niece or nephew, we would make sure they knew they were loved and were safe and we believe in them and will protect them.”

Moved by Zimmer’s talk, board member Ref Rodriguez added: “Ditto.”

McKenna also avoided using Trump’s name but told his personal dramatic history of growing up in the segregated Deep South not able to swim in the same pools or drink out of the same drinking fountains and sitting at the back of the bus.

“I went to bed early Tuesday because I thought I was dreaming, and I thought I would wake up Wednesday from this dream, but it was the same condition,” McKenna said. “I’m a product of the supremacy of the South.”

McKenna added, “I can live only so much with the sanitization of people after they have told you who they are. We hear how people told us who they are. … Both political parties tried to stop him. He is off a TV show, like a cartoon I grew up with, Pepe Le Pew the skunk who is chasing a little kitty and kissing it, but we made him the Lion King.”

McKenna said he is not afraid and added, “I’ve been feeling left out and disappointed. Let us commence to unify and struggle to do the best. The only public institution larger than us is the state of California. We are bigger than the city or the county. We have influence in Sacramento, and nationally and globally, and many of our people were born throughout the world. … We are the ones that are leading, and this is not the end.”

McKenna received applause and the resolution passed unanimously.

Students gather in East LA’s Mariachi Plaza on Monday morning before heading to City Hall. (Photo courtesy @CentroCSO on Twitter)

*UPDATED

Students in East Los Angeles on Monday morning walked out of classes from at least five high schools to protest in the wake of Donald Trump‘s election as president.

Walkouts at school campuses began last week following Trump’s victory on Tuesday.

Students at Garfield, Mendez, Roosevelt, Wilson and Lincoln high school walked out of class Monday. Hundreds converged in East LA’s Mariachi Plaza and then marched over the First Street bridge to the steps of City Hall, about a mile and a half away.

Photos were posted to social media accounts using the hashtag #eastsiderising. A poster that appeared to organize the walkouts posted on Twitter by a Latino/Chicano student organization at Roosevelt High School called the protest a “Unitywalk” and stated, “This is not a protest against Trump!” However, students participating in the protest were Tweeting using the hashtag #notmypresident.

In a televised statement, LA Unified officials encouraged students to stay in class and cooperate with school officials to plan protests on campus. At a news conference last Thursday officials warned that students would face discipline if they left school during classes.

Los Angeles police estimated that the crowd was “a few hundred” total, although organizers estimated as many as 3,000 students and parents participated.

An LA Unified district spokeswoman said there was no indication of a significant drop in attendance Monday throughout the district. A robocall recorded by Superintendent Michelle King called for calm and promised “safety for all children.”

“This election is providing a lesson in democracy,” said King at the news conference. “These and other lessons take place every day in our classrooms, which is why it is essential for our students to return to school.”

Los Angeles school Police Chief Steve Zipperman said, “We are working hand in hand with our law enforcement partners with these post-election activities. We want students to remain within the law and stay on campus with the resources and supports.”

Two board members joined King and Zipperman at the news conference. LA Police Chief Charlie Beck also attended.

“We have a commitment with all our students to achieve their dreams through their education,” said LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer.

“Our students are our leaders and they deserve their voices to be heard,” said board member Mónica García in Spanish. “They need to be listened to.”

United Teachers Los Angeles issued a statement that included, “In this uncertain time, in which youth and communities across Los Angeles and the country are fighting back against the politics of fear, racism and misogyny, UTLA re-affirms its commitment to building the movement for educational and racial justice both in our classrooms and in our communities.”

The students that made the march were bused back to their respective schools after the rally.

Students have walked out of classes nationwide in the wake of the election.

Trump’s victory has hit Los Angeles students particularly hard because of the president-elect’s statements on illegal immigration. During an interview on 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, Trump said the deportation of 2 million to 3 million people who are in the country illegally is a top priority of his administration.

He reiterated his campaign pledge to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

About 74 percent of LAUSD students are Latino, and an estimated 10 percent of LA’s population is undocumented.

Thousands of students gathered to protest #Trump and for their parents #EastSideRisingpic.twitter.com/pjeUdVn24P

— Sol Márquez (@elmaryelsol) November 14, 2016

DON’T FORGET! WALKOUT TOMORROW AT 9:50 #eastsiderising pic.twitter.com/UyGvRgTf36

— MEChA de Roosevelt (@MEChARHS) November 14, 2016

Students from #WilsonHS and #Semillas #walkout #StudentProtest #EastSideRising pic.twitter.com/zoWBT184Nu

— Mando V. (@AVJ16) November 14, 2016

#EastSideRising the students are amazing #Aztlán #BoyleHeights pic.twitter.com/OfaheFQQt1

— Centro CSO (@CentroCSO) November 14, 2016

L.A. Unified is taking all steps to ensure student & staff safety during post-election activities. Visit https://t.co/AZDfmuaMmu for info.

— LAUSD (@LASchools) November 14, 2016

They’re crossing the street to continue the Walk #EastSideRising pic.twitter.com/e0EL1LpeCx

— Catherine Clark (@catmclark) November 14, 2016

LA School Report reporters Mike Szymanski and Esmeralda Fabián Romero contributed to this report.

* Updated police estimates on the crowd and other email Tweets.

Parents in the Bay Area organized a candidates forum for parents. (Courtesy: Rocketship Education)

Groups that support charter schools and education reform spent millions in the 2016 election cycle, and it seems it paid off as several candidates they backed appear poised to be heading to Sacramento in December.

Education reform independent expenditure committees, like EdVoice and the California Charter Schools Association, spent 10 times more in the general election than the powerful California Teachers Association in advertising, mailers, phone banking, polling and research for candidates they supported and opposed. The CTA spent most of its war chest, about $16 million, to push education-related ballot measures, which overwhelmingly passed.

Two closely watched legislative races in the Los Angeles area were two Assembly seats: one left vacant by state Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, due to term limits, and a northeast San Fernando Valley seat held by state Assemblywoman Patty López, D-San Fernando.

In both races, the candidates supported by education reformers won.

• See how much outside groups spent in the general election. 

• A unique candidate forum was organized by parents for parents in the Bay Area. Read about it in English and Spanish.

Glendale City Councilwoman Laura Friedman, a former film and television executive, defeated Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, a fellow Democrat, earning 65.2 percent of the votes, compared to Kassakhian’s 34.8 percent, according to unofficial election results. Kassakhian was endorsed by the California Teachers Association and LA Unified board President Steve Zimmer.

Laura Friedman (via Twitter.com)

The CCSA poured millions into this race and was criticized by some for negative campaign mailers sent in the primary. Campaign finance records on the secretary of state’s website show that an independent expenditure committee sponsored by CCSA Advocates, the CCSA’s political arm, spent $2 million supporting Friedman as of Oct. 22, with about half spent in the primary. The CCSA spent at least $355,000 on mailers opposing Kassakhian in the primary.

The CTA spent about $50,000 on mailers in the primary opposing Friedman and supporting Kassakhian.

Independent expenditure committees are not bound by limits in contributions like candidate committees and are not allowed to coordinate with candidates they support.

López, who was endorsed by the CTA, lost her seat to fellow Democrat Raul Bocanegra, a reversal of a stunning upset two years ago when López defeated Bocanegra, who was then the incumbent. Bocanegra, who has taught at Cal State Northridge, was endorsed by the CCSA. He earned 61.1 percent of the votes. López received 38.9 percent, according to unofficial election results. López was endorsed by LA Unified school board member Scott Schmerelson, according to her website.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome in that we’re able to support two candidates who have student outcomes in mind as a priority and who will be champions for all students,” said CCSA Advocates spokesman Richard Garcia, of the Friedman and Bocanegra races. “We feel this is a big win for parents who value choice in education.”

This election was seen as pivotal to education reformers especially in the state Assembly because there will not be any open seats due to term limits until 2024. After losing high-profile court battles that challenged the state’s education codes, those pushing for reforms have poured millions into backing candidates viewed as friendly to charter schools and school choice.

Spending from the education reform supporters in California ramped up in 2014 when Marshall Tuck ran for state superintendent. Tuck lost to Tom Torlakson, who was seeking re-election. Spending in that race was three times higher than in the gubernatorial race.

In the primary election in June, one-third of all outside money spent by independent expenditure committees came from education reform groups. In the general election, EdVoice, CCSA Advocates’ Parent Teacher Alliance committee and Parents and Teachers for Student Success accounted for more than $9 million of the $41 million spent by outside groups during the general election, according to Rob Pyers, of Target Book, a non-partisan organization that crunches campaign finance data. 

During this election, there were 17 open seats in the Assembly and nine open seats in the Senate. In many key races, Democrats were going head-to-head.

In closely watched races where money was spent by education reformers and/or teachers’ unions, eight candidates who were endorsed by the CCSA appear poised to be elected, four candidates who were endorsed by the CTA are likely to be elected, three candidates who were endorsed by both the CTA and CCSA were elected and four candidates who were not endorsed by either the CTA or CCSA are poised to win their respective races.

The election results are not yet final as 4 million vote-by-mail ballots statewide are still being counted.

CTA President Eric Heins railed against the billionaires who are donating to education reform groups like the CCSA and EdVoice. Donors include Eli Broad, Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix, and Doris Fisher, co-founder of The Gap. He said the money that CTA spends during elections comes from teachers.

“I think we’ll see a change in the Legislature,” Heins said. “I think the polling shows, though, that the California voters and Californians don’t necessarily support this agenda. Part of their issue with that agenda is the lack of transparency and accountability in these schools.

“The one thing these billionaires do is they don’t spend money and try not to get a return for it. So we’ll see,” he said. “Certainly, they’re backing these candidates for a reason.”

The true amount spent on the general election will not be known until after Jan. 31 when the final reports will be publicly available on the secretary of state’s website.

Through its independent expenditure committee, the CTA spent more than $1 million in this election cycle; $860,000 was spent in the general election to support or oppose candidates, according to campaign finance data on the secretary of state’s website. The CTA also gave more than $16 million to campaigns that support Prop. 55 and Prop. 58, campaign finance data show.

EdVoice, a nonprofit organization that supports education reform but not solely charter schools, spent about $10 million, as of Oct. 22, supporting candidates, mainly in Northern California races, campaign finance records show. In the general election, it spent $3.7 million.

The Parent Teacher Alliance sponsored by the CCSA Advocates spent about $9 million this election cycle, as of Oct. 22. About $5 million was spent in the general election.

Two other groups associated with education reform are Govern for California, whose two committees spent about $2.3 million, and Parents and Teachers for Student Success, which spent about $500,000, as of Oct. 22.

See Target Book’s compilation of independent expenditure committee spending in the general election.

Here is how CCSA- and CTA- endorsed candidates fared in other key legislative races:

Southern California

45th Assembly – Los Angeles

Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Encino, who was endorsed by both the CCSA and CTA, was re-elected receiving 65.8 percent of the votes over Jerry Kowal, a Republican, who earned 34.2 percent of the votes.

38th Assembly – Santa Clarita

Dante Acosta, a Republican, received 53.1 percent of the votes over Chirsty Smith, a Democrat, who was endorsed by the CTA and received 46.9 percent of the votes. The CCSA didn’t endorse in the race, an open seat.

47th Assembly – Fontana

Challenger Eloise Reyes, a Democrat, defeated state Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-Rialto, who was endorsed by the CCSA. Reyes received 53.3 percent of the votes. Brown received 46.7 percent. The CTA did not endorse in the race.

29th Senate – Anaheim

Ling Ling Chang, a Republican and outgoing state Assemblywoman, appears to have defeated John Newman, a Democrat, garnering 50.9 percent of the votes to Newman’s 49.1 percent. Chang was endorsed by the CCSA, while the CTA endorsed Newman. The LA Times has not called the race.

21st Senate – Santa Clarita

Republican Assemblyman Scott Wilk defeated Johnathon Ervin, a CTA-endorsed Democrat, earning 54.8 percent of the votes to Ervin’s 45.2 percent. The CCSA did not endorse in this race.

27th Senate – Los Angeles

Henry Stern, a Democrat and advisor to outgoing state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, won with 55 percent of the votes over Republican candidate Steve Fazio. Stern was endorsed by the CTA. The CCSA did not endorse in the race.

60th Assembly – Riverside

Challenger Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat, appears to have delivered an upset to incumbent state Assemblyman Eric Linder, a Republican, who was endorsed by the CTA. Cervantes earned 52.2 percent of the votes to Linder’s 47.8 percent. The CCSA did not endorse in the race. The LA Times has not yet called the race

65th Assembly – Anaheim

Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat, endorsed by the CTA,  appears poised to defeat incumbent state Assemblywoman Young Kim, a Republican, who was endorsed by the CCSA. Quirk-Silva received 50.8 percent of the votes to Kim’s 49.2 percent. The LA Times has not called the race.

66th Assembly – Torrance

Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat endorsed by the CTA, defeated incumbent state Assemblyman David Hadley, a Republican, who was endorsed by the CCSA, 53 percent to 47 percent.

Central California

31st Assembly – Fresno

Incumbent state Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, who was endorsed by both the CCSA and CTA, won re-election with 61.8 percent of the votes. Challenger Clint Olivier, a Republican, received 38.2 percent of the votes.

30th Assembly – Salinas

Anna Caballero, a Democrat endorsed by the CCSA, defeated Karina Cervantez Alejo, a Democrat and wife of outgoing incumbent state Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas. Caballero received 63.5 percent of the votes. Alejo received 36.5 percent. The CTA remained neutral in the race.

Northern California

11th Senate – San Francisco

Scott Wiener, a Democrat endorsed by the CCSA, won with 52.5 percent of the votes defeating CTA-endorsed Jane Kim, a Democrat, who received 47.5 percent of the votes.

27th Assembly – Alum Rock

In an expensive and hard-fought race, Ash Kalra, a Democrat endorsed by the CTA, is ahead of Madison Nguyen, a fellow Democrat, who was endorsed by the CCSA. Kalra received 52.4 percent of the votes. Nguyen received 47.6 percent. The LA Times has not yet called the race.

4th Assembly- Napa

Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry, a Democrat, who was endorsed by the CCSA and CTA, won the open seat defeating Republican Charlie Schaupp. Aguiar-Curry received 63.6 percent of the votes. Schaupp received 36.4 percent.

24th Assembly – Sunnyvale

Marc Berman, a Democrat, who was endorsed by the CCSA, won the open seat with 54 percent of the votes. Vicki Veenker, a fellow Democrat, who was endorsed by the CTA, received 46 percent of the votes.

14th Assembly – Concord

Tim Grayson, a Democrat who was endorsed by the CCSA, won with 62.1 percent of the votes, defeating Mae Torlakson, wife of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and a Democrat, who was endorsed by the CTA and received 37.9 percent of the votes.

3rd Senate – Fairfeld

Bill Dodd, a Democrat endorsed by the CCSA, won the open seat earning 59.4 percent of the votes defeating Mariko Yamada, a fellow Democrat, who received 40.6 percent of the votes. The CTA remained neutral during the race.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation funds Spanish translation on LA School Report en Español. The Doris & Donald Fisher Fund supports The 74, parent of LA School Report.   

LAUSD school board President Steve Zimmer at a news conference Thursday.

*UPDATED

Following two nights of protests as well as student walkouts in Los Angeles and around California in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer joined other leaders in calling for unity Thursday and told students their schools were safe.

“We, like the LAPD, are not cooperating and will not cooperate with immigration services who might want to interview or work with students who are at a school site,” he said at a news conference at City Hall. “Your schools are safe. Your schools are secure. We need you to go to school. If you are concerned and you are afraid, please tell someone.”

An LAUSD spokeswoman said overall attendance is not down in the wake of the election, and there had been “no serious incidents of bullying.” Around 2:30 p.m. one parent reported about 50 to 70 students marching out of Hollywood High School, protesting and stopping traffic at Hollywood Avenue and Sunset Boulevard.

Zimmer said he understood that students want to demonstrate their First Amendment rights through protests, but he asked that they cooperate with school leaders to organize demonstrations. He said if students choose to take to the streets, school leaders will work to keep students safe.

“We also say to you that the best way to repudiate the hate that was directed at you during this campaign is to also march towards that graduation stage and to march towards your rightful place in the university system of this state,” he said.

• Today: Social media erupts with disturbing accounts of Trump-inspired bullying

• Read more: Dealing with frightened kids the day after the election: How one school got through the day

Zimmer encouraged parents to talk to their children about their fears. He said he and Superintendent Michelle King spent the day yesterday in schools talking to students.

He also spoke directly to the president-elect.

“Sir, the words that you used and the rhetoric that was employed during this campaign has scared our children, as a father, I want you to know as a father that you have scared children in our community.”

About 74 percent of LAUSD students are Latino, and an estimated 10 percent of LA’s population is undocumented.

Zimmer told Trump one way he could reassure children is to tell those who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that they are safe and their status is secure.

Zimmer said that students’ concerns reminded him of 1994 when Californians passed Prop. 187 that initially prohibited undocumented residents from using non-emergency tax-supported services like public education, but the law was found unconstitutional.

Almost 100 Montclair HS walked 4 miles to Chaffey HS in protest. #notmypresident pic.twitter.com/E0vT7SstXC

— Liset Márquez (@JournaLiset) November 10, 2016

In February, the school board declared that LA Unified schools were “safe zones,” meaning  law enforcement agents looking to deport those without documentation are not allowed into any of its 1,274 schools without a review process.

Zimmer was joined by LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, LA City Councilman Gil Cedillo, members of CHIRLA, LAPD officials and others at the morning news conference.

Zimmer also attended an afternoon news conference with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Garcetti praised young people for demonstrating their First Amendment rights. He called the protests “overwhelmingly lawful,” saying “99 percent” were peaceful.

The LA Times reported 28 people were arrested overnight when hundreds of protestors entered the 101 Freeway on foot in downtown Los Angeles. Photos appeared on social media of buildings and vehicles tagged with anti-Trump sentiments.

Zimmer said the students who walked out of classes will face some disciplinary action because there are consequences whenever a student has an unexcused absence.

“They will not be devastating or monumental to anyone’s graduation trajectory, but certainly we expect that’s what will happen in schools,” he said.

He said he and King are less worried about disciplining students for walking out and more concerned about keeping students safe. He said he encourages students to own up to the consequences if they feel strongly about taking action.

This article has been updated to add the mayor’s news conference and Hollywood High protest.

Sylmar High students Dior Parks, left, Paola Vazquez and Kimberly Peralta talk about their fears during their 12th-grade government class.

When Principal James Lee arrived at school Wednesday morning to find a sea of anxious faces, he knew he had to do something.

Donald Trump was now the president-elect, and Lee recalled how his students had reacted with fear to some of the rhetoric during the presidential campaign about immigration, deportation and “the Wall.”

Sylmar Charter High School in the north San Fernando Valley has a student body that is 94 percent Latino, 81 percent socio-economically disadvantaged and 25 percent English learners. So Lee quickly sent out a memo to all the teachers. At 9 a.m., he announced over the intercom that teachers should read it and pay attention.

In the memo, titled “Election Results,” Lee wrote, “We may have many students who show signs of anxiety particularly around the issue of immigration. If you see that students are seriously distressed, to the point that they are impaired, please refer to them to the counselors.”

Lee suggested the teachers hold a check-in circle but not start a debate. He suggested history teachers begin conversations on how government works, the next steps and the Supreme Court and show students how “their voices should continue to shape the decisions that our government makes.”

Ana Gascon, who voted in her first election, said she is worried about her family.

In one 12th-grade government class, students ranked their own anxiety levels. The average was 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Across campus at an English-language learners class, the anxiety levels were off the charts, with some students calling out numbers like 11 or 12.

A special education student who was headed to class ran up to the principal and high-fived him saying, “I’m not worried, I am for Trump. I am an American.” Another student in the front office wondered aloud if President Obama would have to leave the White House that day.

“This week we are looking for students who may have certain levels of anxiety,” Lee said. They may be crying, alienated or acting out. Lee had five counselors on alert all day to deal with his 1,700 students.

Even at his own home, Lee’s 10-year-old son, Nathan, watched some of the election returns along with his 13-year-old and 9-year-old siblings. Nathan expressed some concern about a war starting. “He was concerned about Trump starting a war with Syria, and he couldn’t sleep,” Lee said. “I was surprised he was paying that much attention.”

Francisco Navarro supports Trump.

LA Unified School Board President Steve Zimmer knew about the potential anxiety across the school district and said in a statement, “We know there may be feelings of fear and anxiety, especially within our most vulnerable communities. With emotions running high, our schools will continue to be the anchors of our neighborhoods. We ask our teachers and school leaders to continue their amazing work of listening to our students and striving together to assure that public education is the great civil rights engine of democracy.”

Zimmer noted that there are support teams to help every school, and added, “The work with our families to fulfill the American Dream continues today.”

In Laura Tracy’s 12th-grade government class at Sylmar High, she put the students in a circle to pass around a talking stick and check in on their concerns. She wrote a quote from President Harry Truman on the board and played some of the news reports of the election coverage.

“Overnight the students texted me,” Tracy said. She showed one message on her phone reading, “Ms. Tracy, are we going to talk about this tomorrow in class? Everyone is pissed.”

Government teacher Laura Tracy, center, listens to her students’ concerns.

One student talked about how he helped at a polling booth. Another student, Ana Gascon, got to vote for the first time, but she was worried after hearing the results.

“I voted for Hillary Clinton, but I continue to be worried for my family,” said Gascon, 18, whose father is in the hospital and whose mother is in Mexico. “I talked to my mother on the phone this morning and she knows that I get a little nervous about things and she told me to calm down, don’t get so excited and to think positive. I am worried for my dad though.”

Francisco Navarro, 17, said he doesn’t agree with some of Trump’s statements, but he is a Trump supporter. “I’m pretty happy that he won, I don’t think it will be as bad as everyone thinks,” he said.

“Look, when Obama became president, everybody was so afraid of what he was going to do and it turned out alright,” Francisco said. “I don’t agree with what he said about all the people coming over are rapists and murderers because we know that’s not true. But when I looked at all the things that were being said, I felt like I came down on the side of the Republicans.”

African-American student Dior Parks said from across the room, “Look, Cisco, we are friends, and I don’t understand how you can support a man like that with all the disrespectful things he has said about us,” she said, pointing to Trump’s picture on an overhead screen. “I’m not able to handle that yet as our president.”

Next to her, her friend Paola Vazquez buried her head on her desk and said, “He has been very mean, and it makes me very worried.”

English Learner teacher Maritza Hernandez with Monica Lemus, front, Mario Guzman and Jose Lopez, right.

Next to her, Kimberly Peralta added, “It is going to be hard for the next four years, maybe even more.”

Stephanie Tovar said that the results of the election and the ensuing anxiety all make her want to get involved in politics. “I want to be able to vote, and I want to help make these decisions. I know that all the people who supported Trump are not all racists, but this election makes me excited about voting.”

Lourdes Sanchez added, “Young people should be more involved in the process and they should appeal to youth more. This is our future. But I do have some concerns about the future now.”

Across campus in Maritza Hernandez’s English Learner Development class, the 14- to 18-year-olds in the class all said they had talked to their families about the election the night before and in the morning before they came to school. They all also were aware of being able to go to counselors to discuss their anxieties, but most of them said they would rather talk to their teacher first.

“I am worried, but we need to see what he really does,” said Monica Lemus, wearing a UCLA shirt, as Wednesdays are “College Awareness Day” at the school. Lemus hopes to attend UCLA someday, but she isn’t sure Trump will help her toward her goal. “I don’t know if I trust what he will do.”

Lourdes Sanchez said she is worried.

Sitting behind her in class, Mario Guzman said, “It is not good that he will be president, and it will not be good for all of us. He wants to separate our families.”

The whole campaign and election have motivated Jose Lopez not only to vote but to become a politician. “I would like to help out and run for office someday,” he declared. His classmates cheered.

Hilda Lopez said, “It is not fair, he is making everyone worried that he will send everyone back. He is always talking about the wall and how Mexico will pay for it, but they won’t do it.”

Randolfo Rosales chimed in, “Don’t worry about the wall, we will get around it, we will jump over it. Don’t worry about that.”

And Gerardo Piedra said he was concerned about how Trump will handle immigration. “What will happen if he finds parents have come over illegally, and what if there are children who are legal?” he asked. “What is going to happen? That’s my worry.”

Donald Trump

*UPDATED

Education leaders in Los Angeles reached out to their schools and communities a day after Donald Trump was elected president to address “feelings of fear and anxiety.”

During his campaign, Trump had vowed to deport millions of immigrants and build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. LA Unified’s student body is 74 percent Latino, and an estimated 10 percent of LA’s population is estimated to be undocumented immigrants. In February, the LA Unified school board voted unanimously to make the district a “safe zone” for undocumented immigrants.

On the day after the election, LA Unified leaders looked to calm fears. While protests and student walkouts were reported by the Los Angeles Times at Berkeley High School, UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Cal State LA, downtown Los Angeles and Oakland. ABC7 reported Wednesday afternoon that students at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools marched out of class.

Here are how some LA Unified leaders are reacting to the election and communicating with teachers and students:

• LA Unified Superintendent Michelle King said in a statement, “The 2016 Presidential Election provides many teachable moments in L.A. Unified’s classrooms. We teach our students that they have a right to freedom of speech. They are also allowed to participate in peaceful demonstrations on campus during non-instructional times, within parameters set by administrators. They are not permitted to leave school. Because fears and emotions may be running high after the election results, we directed school-based staff to talk with students, and if necessary, identify those who may need support. In an abundance of caution, district staff also has initiated conversations about student rights. At LA Unified, the safety of students and staff remains our highest priority.”

• LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer said in a statement, “As students and staff arrive at school today, we know there may be feelings of fear and anxiety, especially within our most vulnerable communities. The district is providing additional supports to those who need it. With emotions running high, our schools will continue to be the anchors of our neighborhoods. We ask our teachers and school leaders to continue their amazing work of listening to our students and striving together to assure that public education is the great civil rights engine of democracy. As we do every day, we will take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, staff and schools. And the work with our families to fulfill the American Dream continues today.”

• In an email to teachers titled, “Meet Hate with Love Always, Especially Today,” Magnolia Public Schools CEO Caprice Young wrote, “Helping students make sense of politics is especially difficult when we have difficulty understanding it ourselves. No matter where you stood in this election, today our job is to come together. As Magnolia leaders, we work to create socially responsible global citizens who make decisions based on evidence. Ignorance is ended by education. Enmity is stopped through understanding. Reach to teach … listen to your kids. Use this confusion as an opportunity to rise together.”

• In an email to staff, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools CEO Dan Katzir wrote, “Last night’s election was a surprise for many of us. I know that many of you, like me, have emotions about what this election means. I share your distress at the hateful and mean-spirited discourse of the campaign, the exposure of the deep divides in our country, and the scapegoating of the very communities we serve. Despite our own possible distress, now is the time for us to be strong for our scholars and families, many of whom are feeling more vulnerable than ever. Our mission has never been more urgent. Our daily work has never been more important.”

• The LA teachers union, UTLA, is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, which endorsed Hillary Clinton. In a statement today, AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “Though heartbroken at this result, this was about economic change and a yearning for change, not an undermining of all things we hold dear like public schools. Across the country in local races—from ballot initiatives in Georgia and Massachusetts, to school boards in New Orleans and Corpus Christi, to levies that will support schools in Cincinnati, Cleveland and the San Francisco Community College District, to Proposition 55 in California and much more—voters chose to lift up and protect the institution of public education. Our members across the country worked hard not just for Hillary, but for their local schools, their hospitals, their public services—and many prevailed.”

• On its Facebook page, UTLA leaders wrote that “we have challenging times ahead. But, we have been through hard times before, and we have nurtured seeds of crucial social movements during difficult times – the seeds for the civil rights movement, the movement for language rights, environmental justice movements, movements for LGBTQ rights, and more, were planted, nurtured, and strengthened during some of the most challenging political times in U.S. history. We will continue that history, no matter what lies ahead.”

*This article has been updated to add that students at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools marched out of class.

Incumbents Sweep Oakland School Board Race:

A heated Oakland school board contest fueled by the growth of charter schools failed to knock any of the incumbents out. Jody London, Jumoke Hinton-Hodge, Roseann Torres and James Harris will all be returning to the board, the East Bay Express is reporting. Great Oakland Public Schools, a school reform group, endorsed all the incumbents except Torres, which it said was not a reflection of her stance on school choice, but rather her poor attendance record at board meetings. The teachers union backed Torres and several challengers in a crowded field of 12 candidates vying for four seats. The race was also seen as something of a referendum on Oakland’s reform-minded superintendent, Antwan Wilson, who has tried to bring universal enrollment to the district where nearly 25 percent of students attend charters schools. —Kate Stringer

Union-backed Candidates Sweep San Francisco School Board Races:

Two incumbents and two new members were elected to the San Francisco school board, where four of the seven seats were on the ballot. All four winners were endorsed by the United Educators of San Francisco; the one incumbent not supported by the local union lost her re-election bid. Two candidates backed by charter advocates — including Phillip Kim, who works for KIPP charter schools — won little support. Incumbent and Board Chair Matt Haney, who received a surprising endorsement from President Obama, was the top vote-getter. The board was in the news earlier this year for discontinuing its contract with Teach For America. —Matt Barnum

Charter-supporting Dems Win Two State Legislative Seats in Northern California:

In two California legislative races closely watched by education observers, Democrats supported by charter advocates bested fellow Democrats backed by teachers unions.

In a state Senate district based in San Francisco, Scott Wiener narrowly beat Jane Kim with 100 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Los Angeles Times. The race pitted two candidates with many similarities against each other: both were Democrats and members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. But the candidates appeared to diverge on education, with Wiener receiving backing from the powerful charter lobby and Kim drawing support from the powerful teachers union.

A similar divide played out in other races across the state, which has a relatively unique primary system that allows members of the same party to face each other in the general election. Another such race pitted Mae Torlakson against Tim Grayson for an East San Francisco Bay area Assembly seat. Torlakson, the wife of California’s state superintendent of public instruction, was backed by unions, while Grayson got support from charter advocates. Grayson won easily with over 60 percent of the vote. On his campaign site he pledged to advocate “for non-profit charter schools in regions where they provide a way to ‘tailor’ education to the needs of a community’s student.” —Matt Barnum

Charter Supporter Ro Khanna Beats Incumbent for California Congressional Seat:

In a bitter Congressional race that pitted two Democrats against each other, Ro Khanna ousted incumbent Mike Honda for this Silicon Valley seat. The race was a re-match from 2014, and although education wasn’t a major factor in the election, it was still something of a proxy battle between two factions of the Democratic party: Khanna emphasized his support for charter schools as a way of highlighting his independence, while Honda, a former teacher himself, was endorsed by California teachers unions. Honda may have lost in part because of an ongoing ethics probe into whether he improperly used taxpayer dollars meant for his office staff to fund his 2014 race against Khanna. —Matt Barnum

(Credit: Getty Images)

Californians passed three education-related propositions, sending more money to schools and bringing back bilingual education.

Income Tax Extension Benefits K-12 Education:

Proposition 55 extends the income tax rates under Prop. 30 for individuals who earn more than $250,000 a year and couples who earn more than $500,000 a year for 12 years.

It passed easily and is expected to raise between $4 billion and $9 billion a year from 2019 to 2030, with most of the money going to K-12 education. Some money would be set aside for state community colleges and low-income health care programs.

If it didn’t pass, $5.5 billion in state funding of K-12 education programs would have been cut.

Kelly Gonez

By Kelly Gonez

When you are a teacher with a student who is engaging and clearly capable of big things, it breaks your heart to see an obvious barrier to success.

One of my students, I’ll call him Julian, faced this kind of challenge. He was the kind of student who makes you really appreciate being a teacher. Yet, in every class, Julian struggled. Not because of his intelligence or work ethic, but because all classes were conducted entirely in English and he was still learning the language.

Julian isn’t alone. Every day, more than 165,000 students in Los Angeles face these same barriers. A quarter of our students are learning English as a second language, and they face a long path to fluency. Yet even as we have expanded public school choices for students to include career academies and all-girls schools, we are still faced with significant barriers to prevent us from teaching English language learners in a bilingual environment.

Proposition 58 is a chance for voters to open our schools up to the option of bilingual education, which has clearly demonstrated that it is extraordinarily helpful for students who are learning English and native English speakers alike.

California is known for its vibrant diversity, accepting people of all cultures and ethnicities. Yet in 1998, our state voted to bar bilingual education, despite scant evidence to support the idea that forcing students into English-only programs will help them gain language proficiency. As of the 2015-2016 school year, just 11 percent of Los Angeles students learning English showed enough progress to be reclassified as proficient.

And beyond academics, the pressure to learn every subject in English can easily turn school from a place of learning and growth to a place of stress and anxiety. Instead of helping students overcome this challenge, Proposition 227 has stunted opportunity.

Proposition 58 seeks to overturn this flaw in the system and build upon the natural assets of English language learners – their home language and culture – as the foundation for their education, rather than treating it as a deficit.

That’s why I am supporting Proposition 58, and encouraging Los Angeles to open up new opportunities for our English language learners and for native English speakers, as research has shown that dual-language education supports both groups of students. Voting yes on Proposition 58 is just the first step to take down language barriers that hold students back, but it is an important step.

Bilingualism and biliteracy are assets, and it is time our education system recognized this. Vote yes on Proposition 58 and open doors for every child, no matter their home language.

Kelly Gonez is an LAUSD middle school science teacher and candidate for LAUSD Board District 6. 

Isabel Anderson with her third-grade students at Vista Del Valle Dual Language Academy.

The majority of  Vista Del Valle Dual Language Academy students in San Fernando don’t have just one teacher, they have two. And they don’t have just one classroom, they have two, where they spend half their day learning in English and the other half learning in Spanish. It’s all part of the school’s dual language immersion program, one of 75 in LA Unified and part of a growing trend.

Only two years ago, the district had 57 dual language programs. Twelve were added this year, along with an additional $6 million in budget funds, and the district plans to continue adding more.

The growth of dual language programs — where students are taught 50 percent of the time in English and 50 percent in a second language in a classroom where roughly half the students are fluent English speakers and half are English learners — is part of shifting attitudes in California and LA Unified about bilingual public education and English-only instruction.

In 1998, California voters approved Proposition 227, which put substantial restrictions on bilingual education and mandated English-only instruction. But on Tuesday, voters have an opportunity to reverse course with Proposition 58 and lift those restrictions while making it easier for parents to choose a language course for their children and giving schools more opportunity to offer guidance and recommendations.

“It is a different time and a different way of looking at the world. We are 18 years later (from Prop. 227) and we are realizing that the skills and jobs that our students are going into are going to require those kinds of skills that multilingualism brings on, so that is where I see it going,” said Hilda Maldonado, executive director of LA Unified’s Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department.

Enrollment in district schools declined last school year for the 12th consecutive year, and district officials have estimated that every 3 percent drop costs it roughly $100 million in funding. As a result of the enrollment drop and other factors, the district is facing huge budget deficits in the coming years and its leaders are scrambling to find ways to right the financial ship. Along with other popular programs like magnets, both Superintendent Michelle King and board President Steve Zimmer have pointed to dual language immersion programs as a way to attract more students to the district or keep them from leaving.

At Vista Del, that theory has proven true. While 85 percent of the dual language students come from the neighborhood, the other 15 percent are open enrollment students whose parents send their children there specifically for the dual language program. Some of its students even come from outside the district in places like Burbank, Glendale and Santa Clarita. Aside from helping to keep students in the district, Vista Del Principal Mary Mendoza said it also helps keep highly involved parents as well.

“The type of parent you get that shops for what they want is the type of parent who is going to be very informed and very involved and asking the right kind of questions and will be keeping us on our toes,” Mendoza said.

The district already has plans to expand bilingual education, with or without Prop. 58, and currently offers programs for Spanish, Korean, Armenian and Mandarin. The school board has passed a number of resolutions aimed at expanding dual language programs, including the “Commitment to Prepare Students for a Multilingual Global Economy” resolution in 2013. Some recent studies have shown the benefits of dual language immersion and bilingual programs, including a 2014 Stanford study which found them to be more effective long-term for English learners.

Prop. 227 allows for bilingual education, but parents must sign a waiver form and school administrators are not allowed to offer recommendations on language programs to parents. There are multiple approaches to bilingual education in California, but the most common are dual language immersion, referred to as a 50:50 model, and also the 90:10 model. In dual language, students spend 50 percent of their time being taught in English and 50 percent in the non-English target language.

Under the 90:10 approach, the amount of the target language decreases yearly, after typically starting off at 90 percent of the time in non-English, and English increases until there is a 50:50 balance of the languages. Students must be started at an early age to qualify for non-English programs, and they usually do not accept English-only speakers after first grade and English learners after second grade.

Mendoza said when Prop. 227 passed it slowed down the growth of non-English instruction for a time, but that it had other negative impacts on English learners.

“When 227 passed, I started to see a societal change, because you have children unable to communicate with their parents. And parents unable to parent effectively because that communication is not effective, because the kids say, ‘Yeah, yeah, I don’t understand what you are saying,'” she said. “I think bilingualism helps strengthen family ties and improve job prospects.”

Coramia Ellana Garcia Crisanto, a fifth-grader at Vista Del, has parents who speak English but a grandmother and great-grandmother who only speak Spanish.

“I like it because you won’t forget your culture and your language or where you came from,” she said when asked what she likes best about her school.

At Vista Del, roughly half the dual language students come to the school fluent in English and half come as English learners fluent in Spanish. For the dual language model to work at a school in LA Unified, the 50/50 split in languages must be attainable based on the surrounding community, and the ratio should never go below 33 percent for either language group, according to state guidelines. Each grade level at Vista Del typically has three classes, and two out of three are dual language programs. The school opened in 2010 and will be graduating its first cohort class when its fifth-graders finish the spring semester.

“What I have learned specific to dual language is when the two teachers team up, they have to click. It is like neighbors, you have to communicate regularly,” Mendoza said. “I’m not saying you have to have the same outlook on life, but you have to be able to disagree and state your reasons why and do it in a professional manner and they have to respect each other. There have been some pairings that didn’t work and you have to just tweak it along the way until you find the right match.”

At some other programs in LA Unified and for Vista Del’s fifth-grade class, one teacher spends part of the time speaking in English and the other in the second language being taught.

“With me, growing up they didn’t want us to speak Spanish and now I feel like speaking Spanish is cool,” said Vista Del fifth-grade teacher Deborah Carillo. “And the kids think it is cool, and they see it on TV now and they think it is cool to speak our language. Where when I was growing up it wasn’t cool, it was frowned upon. I wish there was a program like this growing up.”

During the last decade, multiple research studies have demonstrated the significant cognitive benefits of students learning a second language, and also that bilingual students tend to outperform their peers on standardized tests. At Vista Del, the dual language students did better that the English-only students on a recent Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test.

“I’ve noticed the dual language students progress at a more rapid rate,” Carillo said. “They are able to think cognitively and they are more analytical. And I think that’s great because you read all these research studies but as a teacher you see the results. It is already rewarding being a teacher, but even more so when you are able to provide the language and have the knowledge of the language to provide for the students. It is a great feeling.”

Maldonado said the dual language programs have been growing by about 10 percent each year the last few years, and interest from schools has been also growing.

“Every year at this time of the year we do informational meetings with principals interested in starting those programs or who have heard from their communities that they are interested in starting those programs,” Maldonado said. “They come to our planning meetings and we take them through a planning process in regards to staffing and planning, and this year we had 21 principals come to the meeting, and that is the most we have had.”

Education advocate Charles Cole III, who attended Oakland public schools and now works as an engagement specialist for the Oakland Unified School District. (Photo by Kathleen O’Connor)

By Kathleen O’Connor

When Jumoke Hinton-Hodge was elected to the board of the Oakland Unified School District eight years ago, the district was emerging from state receivership after a $100 million bailout, the largest in California’s history.

At the same time, enrollment in city schools was declining, the Great Recession was in full effect, and charter schools began to move into Oakland, promising to do a better job of serving the district’s mostly poor black and Latino student body. Helping charters gain their foothold in Oakland was Prop 39, a measure established in 2000 by California voters that strongly curtailed the ability of any governing body to turn away charter schools with credible proposals.

“It was a perfect storm,” said Hinton-Hodge, a community- and youth-development consultant and pro-charter incumbent who is running for her third term against three challengers in the Nov. 8 election.

Charter schools continue to take root in Oakland. Today, nearly 25 percent of Oakland’s 49,052 public school students — 11,977 kids — attend one of the city’s 37 charter schools. Oakland is tied for 14th — with Albany, N.Y., and Inglewood, Calif. — for U.S. districts with the largest percentage of charter school students, but its percentage is far higher than in the U.S. overall (6 percent) and even in pro-charter California, where the statewide percentage is 8.

But despite this long acquaintance with the charter school movement, Oakland’s continued investment in charter schools is fueling a highly contentious — and crowded — school board election. A total of 12 candidates are vying for the four-year terms this election cycle, with eight challengers running aggressive races against four incumbents.

“This is one of the most important elections since I’ve been involved in the district, and I’ve been deeply involved for the last 16 years,” said Renia Webb, a long-time community advocate and parent of five children, all current students or graduates of Oakland district-run schools.

The education issues being fought over in this Bay Area city with a long history of social activism — the successful growth of charter schools and how much of a seat those schools should be given at the table — are reflected in large urban districts across the country right now where the inherent tension between district and charter schools has become an open battle. How it plays out in Oakland and whose interests will be served could say much about where education reform is headed.

Common enrollment fuels debate

In all, there are contested races in four of the seven voting districts on the November ballot, which could easily threaten the incumbent bloc that has formed among Hinton-Hodge, Jody London and James Harris. Many see this election as a referendum on the performance of the district’s superintendent, Antwan Wilson, who arrived from Denver two years ago.

Wilson’s vision for the district embraces both charter and district-run schools, but critics believe elements of his reform agenda will lead to a dismantling of traditional public schools. Groups such as the teachers union are actively promoting candidates who have come out against Wilson himself or elements of his plans for the district.

The 2016 candidate field includes:

• District 1: Jody London (i) vs. Don Macleay
• District 3: Jumoke Hinton-Hodge (i) vs. Benjamin Lang, Lucky Narain and Kharyshi Wiginton
• District 5: Roseann Torres (i) vs. Mike Hassid, Mike Hutchinson and Huber Trenado
• District 7: James Harris (i) vs. Chris Jackson

Notably, Torres is the sole incumbent not endorsed by the highly visible local school reform group Great Oakland (GO) Public Schools, which news reports tie to her opposition to a controversial common-enrollment proposal that would allow parents to easily choose between district-run schools and charters. Torres did not return a request for comment.

Ash Solar, executive director of GO Public Schools, said the group’s “endorsement process is driven by the recommendations of parents, educators and community members evaluating school board candidates on a broad policy agenda, not a candidate’s willingness to support charter growth.” He said the organization did not back Torres because of her poor attendance record at board meetings, what it considers to be “the lowest bar” for a school board member.

GO Public Schools endorsed challenger Huber Trenado, a teacher at an Oakland charter school, for the District 5 seat.

The teachers union has endorsed Torres and a number of challengers: Macleay in District 1, both Wiginton and Lang in District 3, Hutchinson (along with Torres) in District 5 and Jackson in District 7.

Candidates still have one more financial disclosure before the election, but according to Ballotpedia, as of Oct. 12, they’ve received a total of $86,487 and spent a total of $43,875.

If the money paths clearly point to the most intensely competitive races, they are in Districts 5 and 7. In District 5, Torres’s opponent posted contributions of $16,003, versus her $12,420. The only other race as close in fundraising is in District 7, where Jackson, a charter school opponent, has raised $9,622 to Harris’ $11,836.

Notable also are donations coming from the outside, including, as the East Bay Express recently reported, maximum allowable contributions to Harris, Hinton-Hodge and Trenado from a pro-charter committee called Families and Educators for Public Education. That committee, the Express said, “is largely funded by Arthur Rock, a billionaire investor in Silicon Valley.”

Though the common-enrollment plan has been essentially shelved for now — critics say it would rapidly drain students from Oakland’s lower-performing district schools —  it’s still very much part of the election cycle.

One fact repeated often in the enrollment debate is that an outside pro-charter group funded $300,000 for initial research into the plan. The anti-charter group Parents United for Public Schools told reporters at the time it was a typical example of outside influencers pressing a national agenda in Oakland with very little input from local residents. For their side, proponents ask: How fair is a choice system when only the parents who are most talented at navigating byzantine bureaucracies can get the best possible outcomes for their kids?

As it stands, the current enrollment process has few fans. Technically, parents in Oakland can select any city school, district or charter — but the reality of the process makes that excessively complicated. There are more than 35 separate applications and timelines during the lottery process. Siblings of enrolled students and those who live within neighborhood boundaries are given preference, which lowers the number of available seats for outsiders. And the system incentivizes the widespread practice of holding seats until parents receive word from all the schools on their list. One post for parents navigating Oakland’s enrollment process that was featured on a popular local blog, the Berkeley Parents Network, runs more than 30,000 words.

Incumbent Jody London of District 1 said her North Oakland constituency would prefer her focus to remain on expanding district programs, not opening more charter schools.

Campaigning at the Temescal Farmers’ Market in a rapidly gentrifying part of Oakland, a stack of “Vote for London” temporary tattoos at the ready — her daughter’s idea — London said Oakland simply has too many schools at this point.

Lawyer Maha Ibrahim shows her support for incumbent Oakland school board candidate Jody London at the Temescal Farmers’ Market. (Photo by Kathleen O’Connor)

“I can’t be a good financial guardian when we operate twice as many schools as other districts of our size,” she said.

Don Macleay, London’s opponent, has taken a stronger tack — calling for a full moratorium on charter schools, though his family chose one for their own child. He said his family had to look outside the district to find the bilingual Spanish program they wanted, but he added that he believes Oakland has the means to offer these types of programs within its own schools.

“I just don’t see why this couldn’t be done within our local schools,” he said.

Enrollment grows, competition increases

Further fueling the schools debate in Oakland are the city’s surge in real estate prices and overall gentrification as more white and middle-class house hunters are getting priced out of the San Francisco market and turning to Oakland for its (relative) affordability and easy commute.

The influx is making the competition for the most sought-after neighborhoods, and their schools, fiercer than ever. The value of a median-priced home in Oakland is now $626,500, up more than 12 percent from the year before, according to data compiled by Zillow. Still, it’s a bargain compared to San Francisco, where the median-priced home value is $1.1 million.

The resurgence of interest in Oakland real estate is also rapidly changing the demographics in certain schools and neighborhoods.

Peralta Elementary in North Oakland is one such school. In 2007–08, the student body was 24.11% white, 37.94% black and 4.35% Latino. It’s now 57% white, 16% black and 12% Latino.

In addition to demographic shifts, enrollment in Oakland public schools, both district-run and charter, has begun to slowly increase after many years of decline. This is no small factor in a city where 17,000 children never set foot in any public school, district-run or charter.

Charter schools are gaining students. City charter schools do not turn in their enrollment figures until Oct. 31, but the district shared statistics that showed that enrollment in charters increased by approximately 1,000 from last year. That includes the addition of Lodestar Charter School and KIPP’s expansion from 5–8 to K–8, as well as smaller increases at a few other schools.

For Charles Cole III, a voter and district employee — his job is to engage more parents in Oakland schools — the charter-versus-district debate obscures what the board should be focusing on: how the district is serving its neediest families.

“I’m agnostic about the delivery system,” said Cole. “Public, charter, even private at this point. We’ve struggled for a long time to serve our kids. I personally look at how we serve black kids, especially black boys, because I was one, and it hasn’t always been good. I didn’t get everything I needed [as a student here]. It could have been a lot better. In the same breath, though, I think the district has improved a ton. It’s a lot safer, for one. We actually do have thoughtful leaders and teachers focused on equity.”

Cole defined equity as “doing what is needed to serve those most in need, which is ultimately better for everyone.”

He doesn’t have children in the district, but he’s a product of the Oakland Unified School District, and he said his history mirrored that of many struggling families in the city. His parents abused drugs. They moved often. His mother would have been exactly the type of parent who could not have navigated school choice or enrollment as it stands now. Choice under the current system for his family would have been no choice at all.

‘Break the sorting machine’

Others share a similar view — that when it comes down to it, voters are looking for a system that supports their family’s educational goals.

Dirk Tillotson is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Great School Choices, which supports community-based charter school development. He also writes at Great School Voices and One Oakland United.

“When around a quarter of kids attend charters and many families have children in both sectors [in Oakland], it’s pretty obvious that most parents don’t care about the distinction if they get a good school that treats them fairly,” Tillotson said.

Wilson came to Oakland with sterling education reform credentials via The Broad Academy, which is funded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and trains school leaders looking to transform urban public schools. But Wilson’s public comments have largely stressed the need for district and charter schools to better assimilate.

Wilson defined the challenges ahead in his recent State of the Schools address, acknowledging the common criticisms of charter schools and openly discussing the district’s achievement gap — that two thirds of the district’s elementary students are not performing at grade level in reading or math — with perhaps an unusual level of candor:

“I know many educators of good conscience in our district see the charters as a drain on a system with too much hard work to do and too few resources to do it,” he said. “I also know that the best schools, district and charter, have a lot to teach all of us about what great classes and schools can look like. And we don’t have the luxury of ignoring any useful lessons, no matter where they come from. We have to work together to break the sorting machine. What I know is this: Division is a luxury we can’t afford.”

What is unfolding in Oakland is a “national model,” he said, a place where cradle-to-college programs are available for every student, supported by a “historic partnership between our city, our schools, our business community, philanthropists, nonprofits and others.” He mentioned the Oakland Promise, a college scholarship program that has the ambitious goal of tripling the number of Oakland students who graduate from college in the next decade.

Chasing Redwood Heights

Webb, the mother of five, agreed that voters like her see the election as an opportunity to affirm recent gains in achievement within district-run schools, but they also want their votes to clearly register frustration that it’s not going faster.

She has endorsed Hinton-Hodge, whose daughter attended a KIPP charter school in Oakland.

A perfect example of the struggle parents face in Oakland can be found, Webb said, in her District 3 neighborhood school, Hoover Elementary. It is rated 1 out of a possible 10 by GreatSchools.org, a site popular with parents and real estate agents that relies solely on state test scores, and scored 705 out of a possible 1,000 on the California Academic Performance Index (API).

So, like many other parents, she set her sights instead on one of the district’s more successful schools, Redwood Heights Elementary. By comparison, Redwood Heights rated a 7 out of 10, with an API score of 854.

Getting a seat at Redwood Heights was possible, she said, because she has access to so many things her fellow West Oaklanders may not: transportation to get to a school outside the neighborhood, an awareness of how district enrollment works and, of course, her decades of experience as an advocate.

In a district where everyone wants to get into the same four district elementary schools, Webb said, it’s easy to see why so many families can get left behind — and why charters become so attractive.

Redwood Heights Elementary is so organized that a fleet of parent volunteers is on hand to take over mundane tasks for teachers so they can focus on lesson-planning.

“When you see how much money we have per year at Redwood Heights — we had a surplus of cash, luxury items. Then, just four blocks down the hill, they didn’t have books. The disparity is between the haves and have-nots,” Webb said. “You see it and it’s sad.”

Webb’s experience trying to enroll her niece at Skyline High School — “No. 90 in a line that would make the DMV blush,” as she wrote last year in an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle— showed her that parents are still locked in a battle “for the same small group of schools,” which will always result in winners and losers.

To her, the only thing candidates need to be talking about is how to bring up performance in as many schools as possible. “Save one [child] to leave behind 10? Hell no,” is how she put it.

Closing the achievement gap

Regardless of news headlines or the number of campaign fliers stuffed in mailboxes, for most parents, it comes down to finding the right school for their child. So who is doing a better job, charters or district-run schools?

The shortest and most correct answer is that it still depends on the individual school.

The most recent test scores from the 2016 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) makes it difficult, if not impossible, to say who is doing a better job of educating Oakland’s youth. Each system has schools performing above and below state averages; taken as a whole, the district remains below state averages.

Districtwide, 20 percent of students met or exceeded English standards and 25 percent met or exceeded math standards. The state average in California is 49 percent of students meeting or exceeding English standards and 37 percent meeting or exceeding standards in math.

Only 2 in 10 students from low-income families in Oakland “attend schools that are closing the achievement gap,” according to the Education Equality Index, and that gap in Oakland grew faster than in 80 percent of other major U.S. cities, according to data from 2011–13. “Low-income” describes nearly three quarters of the district, where 74 percent of Oakland students qualify for a free or reduced-price school lunch, a common indicator of poverty.

But the report also found 10 schools in Oakland that have proved their ability to prepare low-income students to achieve at levels that “match or even exceed their more advantaged peers.” Of the 10, seven are charter schools and three are district-run.

Charter schools on the EEI Top 10 list:

• American Indian Public Charter School
• American Indian Public High School
• Conservatory of Vocal/Instrumental Arts School
• KIPP Bridge Charter School
• Lighthouse Community Charter High School
• Oakland Charter Academy
• Oakland Charter High School

District-run schools on the EEI list:

• Lincoln Elementary School
• Cleveland Elementary School
• Think College Now School

The California Charter School Association points to the estimated 2,680 students on charter school waiting lists in Oakland as evidence that the schools are delivering a superior education. It also contends that “the average percentage of high school graduates who completed all college preparatory coursework at charter public schools is more than twice as high as it is for traditional district schools. This holds true for all students and for historically disadvantaged student groups.”

Another key source of data for parents, board members and educators in Oakland has been the 2016 Public Education Progress Report, which for the first time includes data from both district-run and charter schools.

It found that while district-run schools serve a higher proportion of special education students — 12 percent, versus 8 percent in charter schools — both charter and district-run schools serve other high-needs groups, such children living in poverty and those in foster care, at similar rates.

The report also found that when it came to English performance among third- through fifth-graders, district-run schools had a higher percentage of students exceeding the standards and a slightly higher of those meeting them.

• 12 percent of students in district-run schools exceeded standards in English, versus 7 percent in charter schools.
• 17 percent of students in district-run schools met standards in English, versus 15 percent in charter schools.

That advantage shifted most markedly when it came to middle school math scores, where charter schools achieved far better outcomes. According to the report, 19 percent of charter school seventh- and eighth-graders exceeded state math standards, compared with 7 percent of seventh- and eighth-graders in district-run schools.

This report is unique in that it covers outcomes from pre-school to post-graduation. For example, a key marker for California high schoolers is whether they can graduate with the specific courses required to be considered for a spot at a “UC” — a University of California school — or a California state university. In charter schools, 93 percent of graduates had the required courses, versus 56 percent in district-run schools, the report said.

Solar, the executive director of GO Public Schools, said Oakland students have made progress on several fronts, including a 5 percentage point increase in graduation rates and a 50 percent decrease in suspensions.

“But we know too few kids are on track to succeed. The choices that we make in this election will determine if we are able to continue making progress and help students improve faster or turn back the clock,” Solar said, saying GO supporters are working “to get out the word about the school board candidates they believe will ensure equity, justice and progress for their students.”

The kids know too

It’s not just parents noticing the differences between Oakland’s most successful public schools and its least. Speaking on Sept. 22 outside a Latino candidates’ forum at St. Jarlath’s Church, where she was volunteering, recent Oakland graduate Imani Curtis-Contreras said kids know when they are in substandard schools.

She recalled one class in which her English teacher was present for only 10 days out of an entire academic year; substitutes taught all the rest. Then there was the time when representatives came to the more affluent and higher-achieving middle school, Montera, to prepare students for Advanced Placement classes in high school. At her school, the poorer Bret Harte Middle School, no one came, she said.

College and Oakland public schools graduate Imani Curtis-Contreras at a candidates’ forum for Latino voters at St. Jarlath’s Church in Oakland in September. (Photo by Kathleen O’Connor)

Luckily, she said, her parents fought for her to gain access to challenging classes.

She now holds a degree from San Jose State University (Class of 2015), where she studied athletic training. She hopes to pivot toward work in public health.

She doesn’t feel cheated, she said, just “sad” that it can take so much effort to make the most of Oakland’s public schools.

“There were always, like, three kids who never got any textbooks at all,”  she said.

When voters go to the polls Nov. 8, Cole, the Oakland graduate and community engagement specialist, hopes they think of what’s best for all students.

“I’m going to have choice because I have privilege. I have degrees and a little money,” he said. “But what about those people who don’t? I’m dedicated to improving our traditional public schools. We need to be innovative. We need to do school better.”

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation provides funding for The 74.

This article was published in partnership with The 74. 

Mya Lopez and Emily Martinez at GALS, the first all-girls charter school at LAUSD.

October was National Bullying Prevention Month, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for LA Unified.

Anecdotal evidence and interviews with dozens of teachers, administrators, parents and students over the past three months point to an increase in school bullying, inappropriate language and public humiliation that many believe can be specifically attributed to the presidential campaign rhetoric. The district also reported higher incidents of bullying in months that coincided with media reports of inflammatory speech.

Recent examples exist from virtually every corner of the second-largest school district in the country:

• Girls in a lunch line in a South Central elementary school were teased with “Miss Piggy” and other weight-shaming phrases;

• High school students in Sylmar fear their parents will be taken away from them if Donald Trump is elected president;

• Students flapping their arms wildly mocked special education students when they lined up for P.E. at a San Fernando Valley middle school;

• A teacher at a charter school who wears a hajib, or headscarf, was taunted with “you’re a terrorist” and “she’s got a bomb,” and a student pretended to point a gun at her;

• Students at an all-girls charter school heard others say that their families will be sent “over the wall” and they will be placed in foster care;

• And just last week, a fight that was supposed to take place at a park near a high school in the Hollywood area was billed as a “Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump” brawl because one student had enough of being persistently picked on by a school bully. Parents heard about the fight and stopped it before it happened.

LA Unified officials said they did not have specific data showing an increase in bullying, but after a public information request, they responded with language from an annual iSTAR incident report released last week: “Incidents were high for the months of October 2016 and February, April, and May 2016. Middle schools reported the majority of incidents.” There were 965 reported incidents of bullying last school year, according to the report.

February, one of the highest-incident months, began with Trump saying to his supporters: “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell. I promise you: I will pay for the legal fees.”

May was another spike in incidents at schools. Toward the end of that month, Trump attempted to discredit a Latino judge and claimed he should recuse himself from a case involving Trump University because of the judge’s “Mexican heritage.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmstyw_JNMg]
Impact on children

Most of the seven members of the LA School Board have spoken at public meetings about the angry discourse of the presidential campaign, while they said they do not personally receive reports of specific incidents.

In an interview, school board President Steve Zimmer said he was concerned with how such talk affects children. “We have to figure out how this narrative of fear and exploitation affects families and schools,” Zimmer said. “We have to have supportive care for conflicts and hate through wraparound services and restorative justice, and we have to worry about the spillover effect.”

Zimmer said that while walking through a public park recently, he saw a pushy boy dressed in a suit declare “I’m Donald Trump.” Zimmer is concerned about how some of the public discourse trickles down to the children. At October’s board meeting, Zimmer won approval for a resolution “Celebrating California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month” that noted, “Sikh boys suffer bullying at twice the national rate as other boys.” Just in the past year, the school board passed four resolutions involving bullying.

“It is unfortunate that the national debate of America does not resonate with some of the key values of this district,” said board member Mónica García. “What is tough is to see the increase in stress in children when the target is against ethnic communities or immigrants or women, and that continues to discourage them.”

Girl shaming

The 11-year-olds starting off at the district’s first all-girls charter school, GALS (Girls Athletic Leadership School of Los Angeles), have been hearing dirty words directed at them, and that infuriates teacher Kelly Snyder.

“Dismissing this kind of talk as locker room talk makes it permissible for boys to talk like this, and the girls hear these vulgar, harsh words,” Snyder said.

Their school is co-located at Vista Middle School in Panorama City where they are in the middle of school-wide anti-bullying lessons, with signs throughout the campus to be aware of bullying. Because of all that, Carrie Wagner, the executive director of GALS, decided it was a good time to train her teachers on how to deal with the issues. But the girls still face bullying.

“We are at an all-girls school, it’s not what we stand for, so you’d think we wouldn’t have to deal with this, but boys think it’s OK to make fun of girls because Donald Trump does it,” said Hattie Weinroth, 11, who faced some recent bullying. “They want to bring our self-esteem down.”

Her friend Tanya Juarez, who was also bullied, said, “This is a school with all different kinds of cultures, and we are learning to not be racist. But the girl who won the beauty contest is pretty and she won it for a reason and it’s not fair for him to criticize her.” (She referred to Trump calling former Miss Universe Alicia Machado “Miss Piggy” for gaining weight.)

Arely Peralta said some of the shaming she faced turned her into a bully too, until teachers intervened and she realized her reactions were wrong. “I felt sad when I was bullied, and I bullied them too,” she said. “A lot more racism is coming out because of the presidential campaign and a lot of rumors and things that are causing bullies.”

Arely said she faced bullying because she was different and said, “Now I feel like Donald Trump is changing America and I am feeling more scared and more insecure if he is going to be president.”

Mya Lopez declared, “Donald Trump isn’t for Mexicans and he wants to build a wall. You can’t make a wall high enough. You can go around it or climb over it. My parents are Mexican and they don’t bring crime. We have been given a new opportunity of life.”

LA Unified doesn’t ask for or require any proof of immigration status by any student or their family. Trump’s immigration plan includes blocking funding to sanctuary cities like Los Angeles. In 1994, Californians passed Prop 187 that initially prohibited undocumented residents from using non-emergency tax-supported services like public education, but the law was found unconstitutional. Yet fears from that time have cropped up again.

Almost in tears, Emily Martinez said, “Other kids are telling me that he will separate me from my parents and we will be foster kids or something. I don’t like the idea of Christmas without them or a year without them.”

Emily said she watched the TV commercials of children reacting to Trump’s speeches. “Donald Trump is criticizing girls and making us feel bad.”

Her fellow classmate Wendy Paz reflected what they were recently taught by their teachers. “Don’t be afraid, let it go, none of it is true,” Wendy advised. “Be yourself, be who you are. Some people have more racism in them than others.”

Abigail Gonzalez, who watched the debates with her parents, said, “I feel bad about it because my parents are Mexican too, and I don’t want anything going on with them. But if we call him racist, then we may be called racists too.”

Muslim teacher is bullied

Nanetta Okonkwo, a substitute teacher facing bullying from students.

For 10 years Nanetta Okonkwo taught in LA Unified schools, the past five years mostly in charter schools. She has always worn her traditional headscarf, the hajib, as part of her Muslim religion.

Never — even during the height of the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — has she ever heard name-calling to the extent she has faced in the past two weeks, since the end of the debates. And it has all come from students.

“Four boys called me a terrorist,” Okonkwo said. “They said, ‘You have a bomb’ and ‘You’re a member of ISIS’ and ‘She’s from Iraq.’ I was shocked.”

It happened at a charter school on the Westside, and the next day three girls picked up on the verbal assaults and were also sent to the office. Okonkwo doesn’t want to name the school for fear of being ostracized further. Instead, she transferred as a substitute teacher to another middle school near downtown Los Angeles. Similar things happened.

“A boy passed me in the hallway and said, ‘You’re a Muslim, you’re a terrorist’ right to my face,” she said. “Then I took him to the dean’s office and he said the same thing.” He had heard Trump say it.

Even more chilling, a student pretended to cock, aim and fire a shotgun at her.

“It makes me really angry, the divisiveness that these children have learned,” the teacher said. “It’s frustrating to see that they are learning to oppress someone else.”

Okonkwo was born in Wichita, Kansas. Her father is Nigerian and her mother is a Kansan native with half-German, half-French heritage. They are both Christian. In her late 20s, Okonkwo chose to become a Muslim.

Now, at 46, she said she is disheartened to see the African-American and Latino children feel free to launch insults merely because of how she is dressed.

“Some of their parents were contacted and some didn’t respond or didn’t care,” Okonkwo said. “I was a little disappointed in how the charter school handled the situation, to be frank, and felt that this could have been a teaching moment. I felt like there was no accountability.”

She said she believes it’s directly attributable to the presidential campaign. “Donald Trump is a grown man on TV making fun of people with special needs, saying boys will be boys and making all these excuses,” Okonkwo said. “The kids think it’s cool because he’s on TV. This started happening just after Donald Trump went on again about Syrian refugees not being vetted, and people don’t know anything about any woman wearing a hijab.”

She worries about the occasional student she sees in school also wearing a hijab and possible teasing. “These children can be horrible to someone who is different, and they can be brutal,” she said.

“We really need to step it up on anti-bullying campaigns,” Okonkwo said. “Otherwise we are perpetuating the racism, bigotry and sexism being spouted in the media. We have to break the cycle. Certainly before there’s violence.”

The wall

Francisco Navarro says he is definitely a minority at Sylmar Charter High School. He is from a Mexican family, and he supports Trump.

The 17-year-old cannot yet vote like some of his friends, but if he were able to, he’d vote for the man who is advocating building a wall between Mexico and the United States.

Principal James Lee at Sylmar Charter High.

“I support Trump,” Francisco said. “I think some of the comments he makes are really unnecessary, but he has some good points. Yeah, we have families on the other side of the border, but we also have laws that we have to follow.”

His family members followed the laws. “We all have families there,” Francisco said. “But if we don’t go by the laws then there’s consequences. It’s what the people want.”

He added, “I am for the wall, I do not have a problem with it. And I don’t feel like all the people coming over are rapists and murderers because they really are not.”

Francisco is part of a senior government class at the district’s newest affiliated charter school. It’s a high school in a predominantly Latino area that also has a significant African-American population.

At a recent chat, along with the school principal, James Lee, the students opened up about their thoughts. Most of them were afraid of Trump becoming president, most of them considered him a racist and most of them didn’t trust the media.

“I’m concerned about the wall,” said Ana Gascon, who is 18 and plans to vote for Hillary Clinton on behalf of her family. “A lot of my family is from Mexico and it bugs me how he speaks about the immigrants.”

An African-American student, Dior Parks, also 18, said she is reluctantly voting for Clinton. “I don’t particularly care that she is a woman, I wouldn’t vote for her just because of that, but she’s better than Trump,” Dior said. “But if Michelle Obama were running I would be very excited about that.”

Dior said she gets most of her news on Twitter, and the high school senior rattled off a list of things she had read about Trump. The last straw for Dior was when she watched TV footage of black people asking for hugs from Trump supporters. “They were really rude to the ones asking for hugs, and that made me feel uncomfortable,” she said. “Seeing that makes me want to get more involved in politics.”

Lee said he was pleased with how candid his 12th-grade students were in the discussion. He said he had not specifically heard about bullying incidents that could be connected to the presidential campaign, but saw how some of the rhetoric seeped into how the students think about and treat each other.

Across town in South Los Angeles, at Dr. Owen Lloyd Knox Elementary School, fifth-grade teacher Danielle Howard has seen a big increase in graffiti and name-calling. Howard has taught for more than 15 years in Los Angeles and noticed obscenities scrawled about Trump in the desks and on the walls. Kids are calling themselves “bad hombres” or “nasty girls,” which was used by Trump in the last debate.

“One girl’s aunt told her that if Donald Trump becomes president, then black people were going to be turned back into slaves,” Howard said. “They know that he’s saying things that aren’t true, because they know that their friend’s mom who is helping volunteer at the school is not a rapist or a murderer.”

But Howard said the children’s worry is palpable, even at the elementary school of 870, which is mostly black and Hispanic. They talk about the news every day and study the election.

“One girl said she had a dream that the police was knocking on the door and taking away parents and leaving kids behind,” Howard said. “Their imaginations are reacting to this fear that is being drummed up. It’s ridiculous, but the fear is real to these kids. These kids are so smart.”

Howard tries to remain objective and non-political, but she said the students are fairly one-sided against Trump, especially while the school was holding the anti-bullying campaign in October.

“They are able to recognize a bully now when they see one, and they have labeled Donald Trump,” Howard said.

Dirty words

When David Graham began as a student teacher at North Hollywood High, it was in 1998 in the middle of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal with President Bill Clinton. It was a time when sex talk was prominent in the media like it had never been before.

Until now, of course, when history has repeated itself and then some. Graham now teaches history in the Independent Honors Program at Walter Reed Middle School in Studio City, and he has noted an increase in dirty words being used around campus that could be blamed on the presidential campaign.

“Yucky” is the new word he uses for when an inappropriate word must come up in discussions, especially when a candidate talks about grabbing certain body parts.

“The students don’t know where I stand politically, and I try to keep it that way,” Graham said. “The students are bright, but this is low-end reality TV that meets middle school, and you know there will be unfortunate comments.”

He noted that students today are “more sexualized” than they were when he began teaching, and therefore more sensitive to body image insults and shaming.

Graham, 56, tries to turn it all into a learning tool, using the debates as a reason to go over the Constitution and bring up past presidential speeches.

Graham started teaching as a second career 18 years ago, leaving behind a career as a lawyer. He noted that when bullying issues come up, the administration is fast to react with a school assembly or training session. For example, when there were recent incidents of cyber-bullying and students drawing fascist symbols, the administration held an assembly with an expert to explain why it wasn’t OK.

“We have to be careful to see if children are taking cues from the behaviors they see and if they’re given a license to have bigotry and prejudices and express them like this,” Graham said. “Some of the girls are offended about what they see or hear, but it hasn’t been an open season of middle school boys on the girls. Not yet.”

Graham also notes that this may not be the most vitriolic of campaigns in American history either.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had a very heated campaign that involved allegations of interracial affairs, rape and murder. But eventually, they became friends again.

“What we didn’t have is social media,” Graham sighed. “And that is something you can’t keep away from the kids.”

The Wallet Hub list of states with the most school bullying (shown in darker blue for the worst on the left) as compared to states supporting Trump shown on the right in the latest CNN map.

Fear and loathing

Even before the presidential season began, YouthTruth, a national nonprofit group, started a survey asking nearly 80,000 students in 21 states about bullying.

“What we found is surprising and shows a need to talk openly about this,” said Hannah Bartlebaugh of YouthTruth.

The survey shows that one in four students is bullied and that more are physically bullied than cyber-bullied. The biggest reason, 44 percent, a child is being bullied is because of how they look; 16 percent say it’s because of their race, and 14 percent say it’s because they were perceived to be gay or lesbian.

At WalletHub, the personal finance website, a recently released study showed that California ranked 38th in the percentage of bullying that goes on in school. That’s better than the average, and significant since the state also ranks low (38th) in number of psychologists per student in the country.

WalletHub’s map of the most-bullied states closely matches the states that are solidly in favor of Donald Trump, when compared to CNN’s or 270ToWin.com‘s latest predictions.

Another survey by the Southern Poverty Law Center showed how Trump’s campaign has had “a profoundly negative impact” in the classrooms and has created anxiety and fear among students. Although the survey didn’t specifically ask about the rhetoric of specific candidates, nearly half of the teachers mentioned Trump while about 10 percent mentioned Clinton, who last week launched a “Better Than Bullying” plan calling for $500 million in new federal funding that would go to states that agree to develop anti-bullying plans.

A CNN report noted a different kind of bullying at a diverse middle school in Washington. A Muslim 8th-grader was called a terrorist and a Latino student was told to “go back to the border,” mirroring some of the incidents at LA Unified.

“These are things that we hadn’t been hearing before,” said Debbie Aldous, a teacher at the school. “So what seems to have changed, to me, is the political rhetoric.”

Solutions and hope

Lori Vollandt and Susan Ward Roncalli teach Social Emotional Learning at LAUSD.

LA Unified has been at the forefront of social-emotional learning for the past 25 years, and when a need exists, district representatives can respond with programs, seminars and education, said Lori Vollandt, of the district’s Social Emotional Learning programs.

“What we are trying to do is create a preventative environment of social awareness. Empathy is the bedrock of all social-emotional learning,” said Vollandt, noting that anti-bullying is an important part of their work. “I think there are many people who don’t know we have these resources available in the district.”

Although Judy Chiasson said she has not heard anything specific about bullying being connected to the presidential campaign, as head of the Human Relations, Diversity and Equity division of the district, she said her team is ready to handle concerns and complaints at any of the district schools and has brochures in Spanish, Chinese, Armenian and Korean.

Susan Ward Roncalli, who helps Vollandt with the programs and taught in the classroom for 30 years, said she recalled last year when a Latino student whose father was an immigrant said in class, “Illegals are criminals and should be deported” and that he was looking forward to the wall keeping them out.

“This sentiment caused quite an uproar in class and caused a few of my students who are undocumented to cry,” said Roncalli, who taught in a suburban elementary school.

Another child recently was sent to a principal’s office for drawing a picture of people and writing the words, “No more Mexicans.” When the parent and principal asked where the child got such an idea, Roncalli said, “He said he saw Trump say it on TV so he thought it was OK.”

Board member Mónica Ratliff said she is concerned about how the district responds to bullying. Her staff has collected the procedures and forms that the district uses. The district has anti-bullying information and contracts in both English and Spanish, as well as anti-bullying reports that parents can fill out in both English and Spanish. Through resolutions and additional public statements, the school board doubled-down on anti-bullying programs in the district.

Principal Lupe Carrandi, left, at Fourth Street Elementary with Michelle King and Mónica García.

“It is important that we continue to provide a safe learning environment for every child no matter who is our president,” Ratliff said.

Some schools have specific programs targeting bullying. El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills created a chapter of Cool2bkind, a group that focuses on bullying prevention and awareness, started by two students, Zachary Leo and Emily Park.

Near downtown, at Bret Harte Preparatory Middle School, a P.S. ARTS teacher saw the transformation of students’ attitudes who participated in the arts program. Coincidentally, fistfights broke out during a half-hour lunch break when P.S. ARTS was hosting a table in the quad to tell students about their program.

“Each time, dozens of students raced to the fray, cheering the fighters on,” art leader Jennifer Browne said about the school fights. “It was clear to us that the culture at this school was in crisis. A small group of students hung out around our table. They wanted to know what we had to offer and clearly wanted to be part of something different.”

The program presented a performance to the rest of the school educating others about bullying. Browne said, “Given the amount of stress and chaos in their day-to-day environment, we knew that our programming could present an excellent chance for our students to express themselves and build community in a safe, structured, creative environment.” She added, “We must look for the small changes – a student who finally projects their voice on stage, a student who fully participates for one day, a child showing empathy towards another individual.”

At Fourth Fourth Street Elementary School in East Los Angeles, Principal Lupe Carrandi said she has implemented a schoolwide Positive Behavior plan to keep out the campaign negativity.

“We know that the rhetoric has gotten nasty out there, but that atmosphere stops at the doors of the school,” Carrandi said after a recent school board meeting where her school was credited by King. “We emphasize our rules: Be safe, be respectful, be responsible and most importantly be kind.”

The classes showing the best behaviors are rewarded with Bear Buck coupons they can use to purchase items from the school store. The principal grew up in the neighborhood, with immigrant parents, and she said it is imperative that her students and their families be shielded from the negativity.

That kind of negative rhetoric caused some students to transfer from other nearby school districts to LA Unified, which they perceived as more tolerant toward Latinos. The district is 74 percent Latino.

A Latino family came to school board member Ref Rodriguez’s office from a neighboring school district after hearing “derogatory comments similar to what’s been shared in the campaigns.” They told the board member’s office that the students were sharing a YouTube video that repeated the campaign negativity.

“This kind of effect on our children based on the rhetoric from the presidential campaign is distressing, but it’s not surprising,” said Allan Kakassy, a retired teacher on the district’s Human Relations Commission. “We don’t know how deeply this affects the students, and that is why it is so important for the district to keep investing in the social-emotional learning programs.”

Board member George McKenna, who has spoken publicly about the campaign rhetoric since the presidential election began, said, “My schools are not as diverse as others in the district might be, so it’s not like someone is going to come in to one of my schools and say, ‘You all need to go back over the wall.’ That would be a little dumb. But it has worked nicely through the sports teams, for example. I think it’s important that they know that if they come together and play together, they can know they’ve got each other’s backs and they can succeed no matter where they come from or what race they are.”

There is cause for hope, school board member García said, despite the negative rhetoric.

“This district is building an understanding for tolerance and appreciation for multi-culturalism,” García said. “That is a pillar for this district.”

She said she recently met a fifth-grader at Second Street Elementary School who told her that Trump’s negative talk is inspiring the student to go to Washington, D.C., to become a civil rights attorney.

“It is clear that kids have become more excited about wanting to vote,” García said. “They see the historic nature of a woman in this election. It has stirred the Latino community to show them how important it is to register and vote.”

Proposition 58 certainly isn’t the highest-profile among the 17 ballot questions facing California voters this fall — those would probably be the proposals to repeal the death penalty or legalize marijuana.

It isn’t even the newsiest among the education propositions. That’s probably Prop. 55, which would extend a special tax on individual incomes over $250,000, most of it going to the state’s K-12 schools.

Yet the ballot question could have a huge impact on the state’s more than 1.5 million English-language learners at a time when immigration and the country’s relationship with Mexico have become hot-button topics. The outcome of the potentially pivotal vote is far from clear, despite very lopsided advocate support for the referendum.

(The 74’s Conor Williams: Linguistic Politics, and What’s at Stake in November With California’s ‘Multilingual Education Act’)

The question facing California voters is whether to overturn a 1998 referendum, Prop. 227, that limited how schools could teach English-language learners. English-language learners were to be placed in classes taught only in English, as opposed to bilingual classes. Parents of both native English speakers and English-language learners can petition for bilingual education for their children where it’s available, but only under limited circumstances.

Advocates say changing the law would return local control to districts and schools, let children learn English the way that best meets their needs, and open new opportunities for native English speakers to learn a second language.

Since the original proposition passed, there has been a chill put on the virtue of becoming bilingual, said Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, president of Californians Together, a coalition of 25 parent, professional and civil rights groups focused on English-language learners.

About 30 percent of English-language learners were taught in bilingual settings before the 1998 change, a number that has dropped to about 4 percent, she said.

“It’s been 18 years since Proposition 227 passed. We know a lot more about educating students to become bilingual and biliterate, and we think it’s time that the barriers that proposition created be modified so all students, in all districts” have access to multilingual programs, Spiegel-Coleman said.

Proponents for overturning the old rules span the ideological spectrum.

Teachers unions, civil rights groups, the state PTA, the California Chamber of Commerce and the state Democratic Party are all backing the measure. Even groups often not involved in education issues, like the Sierra Club of California and California Professional Firefighters, support the initiative. As of early October, more than $1 million had been raised to push Prop. 58, half a million dollars of that from the California Teachers Association, with the rest primarily from other unions and the state school administrators association.

The opposition, meanwhile, is limited largely to the state Republican and Libertarian parties and Ron Unz, a Silicon Valley software developer who bankrolled the original 1998 initiative. They haven’t spent any money, according to state campaign finance records.

Unz, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1994, launched an admittedly long-shot bid this spring to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer in order to bring attention to the issue.

A series of articles in the Los Angeles Times about “immigrant Latino parents” who started a public protest against an elementary school that refused to teach children English inspired Unz to push for Prop. 227 nearly 20 years ago, he said.

“The problem was that hundreds of thousands of immigrant children in California were not being taught English when they went to school,” he said.

The change to focus on English-only instruction “worked out perfectly well,” he said – children are learning English and test scores are up.

A 2006 study by the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the state education department found a slight decrease in the performance gap between English-language learners and native speakers. But the gap in test scores remained “virtually constant” across grades and subjects, and, the researchers noted, the Prop. 227 reforms were implemented at the same time as several others, including a reduction in class sizes.

“Across all analyses, little to no evidence of differences in [English-language learner] performance by model of instruction was found,” they wrote.

Unz blames the push to overturn Prop. 227 on a “small group of very zealous advocates of bilingual education” who “hoodwinked” politicians. Because California has term limits for its state lawmakers, the legislators who passed the 2014 bill pushing Prop. 58 to the ballot weren’t in office when the state considered the issue in 1998, he said.

“This whole vote, I think, is much more sort of a matter of symbolism, and a matter of basically ignorance, since the whole issue’s been totally forgotten, than anything that will have a major practical impact on California education,” he said.

He predicted that if schools change to emphasize bilingual education, parents will protest and districts will have to revert to the current system, with its emphasis on English instruction.

“I am very skeptical there will be any major changes in educational policy in the state, regardless of how the vote goes in November,” he said.

A big change in L.A.

One of the districts where a change could have the largest impact is the Los Angeles Unified School District.

About 27 percent of the 558,000 students in K-12 district schools at any given point are classified as English-language learners. An additional 25 to 27 percent were formerly English-language learners, so more than half of the district’s students either currently are, or at one point were, classified as ELLs, said Hilda Maldonado, executive director of multilingual and multicultural education.

The district provides a range of options for ELLs, from the required English-language immersion classes that educate about 85 percent of them to a variety of bilingual offerings.

All students, regardless of which program they attend, are required to prove their English literacy skills — at grade level — within five years of beginning the program, Maldonado said. The district five years ago entered into an agreement with the federal Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights to improve outcomes for English-language learners who weren’t meeting that benchmark.

“We have found that it potentially is taking these kids a lot longer to learn English in these all-English programs, and we’ve had to put in place additional services, additional courses, so we can catch them up” and comply with the agreement with the federal government, Maldonado said.

Maldonado is already looking to see how the district could expand bilingual education if Prop. 58 passes, starting by trying to recruit bilingual certified teachers. She’s working with the district’s HR department to take stock of existing teachers and implement incentives for bilingual para-educators to get fully certified. The district will also look for existing teachers who speak a second language but are credentialed in another subject to also get the bilingual certification.

(The 74: Desperate for Bilingual Teachers? New Paper Says You Should Start With Your Classroom Aides)

Offering more bilingual education will help teachers understand why English-language learners aren’t grasping content, whether it’s trouble understanding English or the underlying subject matter.

“Maybe they can take algebra in Spanish and pass it, because algebra is algebra,” she added.

Maldonado is herself an English-language learner, having come to the U.S. at age 11.

“I think the world is so much smaller now than it used to be. Being bilingual or multilingual really just puts us into the current 21st century in a way that values everyone rather than divides them,” she said.

Result unclear

The result of the vote will likely depend heavily on how informed voters are about what the proposition would do – primarily, that it would overturn Prop. 227.

A poll conducted in September found high support for Prop. 58, with 69 percent of those surveyed backing the measure, but only as long as they were presented with the official ballot language. (A separate poll in April found the exact same result, 69 percent, with similar ballot language.)

The change comes, though, when respondents are informed that Prop. 58 would repeal the part of Prop. 227 that requires classes to be taught almost exclusively in English. When given that information, 51 percent of respondents opposed Prop. 58. Republicans, independents and white respondents were particularly likely to change their minds when presented with that additional information.

Unz thinks that given the official ballot language — which doesn’t mention overturning part of Prop. 227 — and the deluge of other races and ballot questions vying for voters’ attention, many Californians will vote in favor of Prop. 58 by mistake.

“The impression I have is, very few Californians even know there are two people running for the U.S. Senate right now,” Unz said of the race between Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, both Democrats. “If that’s gotten no attention, then one of 17 initiatives isn’t really getting any attention either.”

Proponents, too, face the same problem of overwhelmed voters.

Spiegel-Coleman said advocates will work through the scores of groups that have endorsed the initiative, as well as an increasing number of endorsements from major newspapers across the state, to raise awareness. They’ll also probably run some ads on radio, she said.

“The issue is really letting people know that it exists and see their way down the ballot and vote yes on it,” she said.

This article was published in partnership with The 74. 

An increasing number of Latinos don’t know any other home than the United States, and yet we get immigration shoved down our throats every four years to the detriment of other issues we care about.

Education, which is consistently our no. 1 or no. 2 issue, gets at best a passing mention despite the myriad struggles Latino students continue to face.

I’m Latina and immigration is not one of my top issues during this election cycle. You better believe education is. Too many of my fellow Latinos are mired in poverty, and it would be hard to find a Latino voter who would say lackluster schools have nothing to do with our shaky economic foothold.

The report found:

• On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 21 percent of Latino eighth-graders read at a “proficient” or “advanced” level, compared with 44 percent of White eighth-graders. This is also true for eighth-grade math.
• Latino children ages three to five are significantly underrepresented in preschool programs, compared with White or Black children.
• More than 20 percent of Latino teenagers do not graduate from high school.

The NCLR report is a stinging reminder that despite the gains Latino students have made in graduating high school and chipping away at achievement gaps, we still lag far behind.

OUR ECONOMIC FORTUNES ARE TIED TO HAVING GOOD SCHOOLSIt’s no secret schools with primarily low-income Latino and Black students tend to get less qualified teachers. Our economic fortunes are tied to having good schools, but we keep having our attention diverted to walls being built on the border.

Keep in mind, I’m an immigrant.

I was born in Colombia and came to Chicago at five months old (my Midwestern accent with its nasal “A’s,” which 14 years of living on the East Coast could not kill, is the lingering proof of my origins).

My older brother was born in this city. Our parents have been naturalized citizens for decades as are a host of relatives. Many of my cousins were born in this country or arrived here during their infancy, too.

IT’S EDUCATION, STUPID

Latinos are concerned about much more than immigration and as time passes, we will care about it less and less. Our population of Latinos is getting younger and the first generation of Latinos who arrived in America is giving way to the second, third, and even fourth generations whose values differ than their forebears.

Education, symbolic of all the reasons why generations of immigrants before us sacrificed so much to move to a new country, rarely surfaces in presidential debates, campaign ads, or stump speeches with the exception of college debt.

What about the 12 years of school before college? Don’t they also matter?

Presidential candidates are foolish to continue relegating K-12 education to the third rail, especially when it comes to attracting Latino voters. It’s political suicide to do so when the nation’s largest minority group has said time and time again it matters a great deal to them.

The Latino voter is changing, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the outreach efforts of both parties, which assume signs in Spanish universally appeal to us although more and more Latino voters do not speak Spanish.

The 2016 election cycle has, in some significant ways, been disappointingly retrograde. Despite two Latinos running for president in Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Latino voters are still being depicted as being a day removed from crossing the border.

We’re all Mexican, we’re all newly arrived immigrants, we’re lawless criminals, we speak Spanish as our first language.

As my Colombian mother, a 40-year resident of Chicago, would say in her accented English, “Hell no!”

The reality is, we’ve been here for a while, we have opinions on lots of things, and education happens to be a major interest for us. Let’s talk about it in depth for once. We have questions we want answered.

The American electorate is broad and diverse. So are we.

By Christina Kim

More than twenty years ago I was classified as an English learner. I spent my first few elementary school years in a classroom not learning much or improving my ability to communicate in English. Then, Californians voted in favor of an array of anti-immigrant propositions, including Proposition 227, which eliminated most bilingual education in our state.

As a student, this meant that my teachers then taught me in English-only classrooms that neither developed nor built upon my native language skills. While I did go on to learn English and even earn a second master’s degree at UCLA, my early educational experience led to lasting insecurities about my bilingualism that persisted for years. Now, as a teacher in LAUSD, I have the opportunity to change how we support students like me.

Proposition 227 did enormous damage to English learners, but this November, California voters can set English language learners — who comprise one-third of all students in Los Angeles and one-fifth of students in the state — on the path to success by voting for Proposition 58, which will allow languages other than English to be used in classroom instruction.

Proposition 227 has continued to create a stigma around using students’ native language in schools and forces them into English-only classrooms, even when a different instructional method would be more beneficial for them. I have watched too many students become linguistically isolated because they are afraid of making mistakes in English and do not feel comfortable communicating in their native language. When their native language abilities are ignored instead of celebrated, students can shut down and develop negative feelings about their language, their culture and even themselves.

The fact is that bilingualism is an asset that should be fostered, rather than frowned upon. Recent studies have shown that bilingual children reap several benefits from developing two languages, including becoming more flexible thinkers in the long run.

It is estimated that between 60 percent and 75 percent of the world is bilingual, yet in the United States, only 20 percent of people speak two or more languages. In an increasingly global society – not to mention global economy – we cannot afford to lag behind the many countries that already foster bilingualism in their schools. If we want to prepare our students to be successful when they graduate, Proposition 58 is an important step in the right direction.

Proposition 58 can help eliminate the current stigma around bilingual education and improve the way we approach teaching English learners. Studies show teachers of English learners often create less rigorous curriculum for these students. In addition, English learners are segregated into remedial courses across various districts because of a mistaken belief that they are slow learners. These actions, in turn, prevent English learners from accessing the core curriculum needed to graduate high school, thus closing the door to higher education for multitudes of students. Proposition 58 would allow teachers to use students’ native languages to help them access rich academic content, while still requiring students to become English proficient.

Families undoubtedly want their children to learn English, but often don’t understand that there are many possible approaches in addition to an English-only classroom. With Proposition 58, the state will remove bureaucratic barriers that have prevented districts from offering instructional supports and opportunities like dual-language immersion programs for English language learners and native speakers, which allow both to acquire a second language. With these unnecessary constraints removed, parents will have more opportunities to select the best setting for their children. This change will invite better parent engagement, which will, in turn, spur our district to provide better supports and professional development for teachers of English learners.

But perhaps most importantly, Proposition 58 will encourage the development of more culturally responsive instruction that celebrates students’ skills and builds upon them, rather than focusing solely on their language deficits. If students are validated and affirmed, they will do better in the classroom.

We can make sure that our students attend schools where multiculturalism is celebrated every day. Please join me in voting yes on Proposition 58.

Christina Kim is a school-based Targeted Student Population Coordinator in the Los Angeles Unified School District and a member of Educators 4 Excellence-Los Angeles, a teacher-led education policy and advocacy nonprofit.

Francis Polytechnic High School students who registered about 150 of their peers to vote. (courtesy photo)

One hundred and thirty Francis Polytechnic High School students enjoyed free raspados at lunchtime Wednesday as a reward for encouraging their peers to register to vote in the primary election.

During the month of May, 20 government students at the Sun Valley high school registered 150 Poly high school seniors and juniors to vote.

The school was part of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ “LA Youth Vote” program. Funded by a LA2050 grant, the United Way dispersed $500 to each school for activities to encourage students to register and to vote. The activities varied at each school and included rallies, DJs, cookies, posters and raspados.

About 2,040 LA Unified students registered to vote at 28 schools, according to data from the United Way. About 60 percent of those students were eligible to vote in Tuesday’s primary; some were not yet 18 years old but could pre-register.

Data from the United Way that show the number of LAUSD students registered to vote this year at each participating high school.

A bill by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Northeast Los Angeles, signed into law in 2014 allows students to be “voter outreach coordinators” on their campuses and to register their peers to vote.

In April, Secretary of State Alex Padilla “deputized” about 200 LA Unified students and encouraged them to register 2,000 students. The students rose to the challenge and exceeded the goal.

Rachel Ochsenreither, 18, had planned on voting in the primary election even before she became deputized, but participating in the process made it that much more exciting for her.

“It was a new experience since it was my first. It kind of got me to make sure I do it every time,” the senior said of voting.

She even encouraged her mother and older sister to register to vote.

Rachel Ochsenreither, 18, who was deputized as a registrar, voted for the first time Tuesday. (courtesy photo)

While most of her peers were excited to register, Ochsenreither said some students were skeptical of signing up. They didn’t think their vote would count or their voice would be heard, she said.

She told them, “Your vote is your voice, of course your voice will be heard.”

“That kind of convinced of them, ‘OK, maybe I should vote, because this is the year I can vote’,” she said.

Some students who registered close to the May 23 deadline had to cast provisional ballots.

Dana Brooks, a government teacher at Poly who led the school’s election activities, said that her students warned their peers that might be the case, but it didn’t prevent some of the new voters from feeling disappointed to receive a provisional ballot. (Provisional ballots are counted once the county registrar determines the voter is eligible to vote.)

This presidential election year, Brooks said her senior government students have been more engaged in the presidential election than before, which she attributes to the personalities of “Bernie and the Donald,” presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

She said the majority of her students support Sanders. When she brought in a sample ballot to review with her students, all they wanted to know was, “What number do I bubble for Bernie?,” she said.

She said she was surprised at the eagerness of her students who wanted to become deputies and were willing to participate in the training on a Saturday.

A 2015 study by UC Davis Center for Regional Change’s California Civic Engagement Project found that in the November 2014 election, youth voter turnout was the lowest for all age groups: 8.2 percent of California’s eligible youth voted, compared to 18.5 percent in the 2010 general election.

“High school youth who learn why voting is relevant to their lives, and learn how to actually register and vote, are more likely to cast ballots when they turn 18,” the study’s author, Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project, wrote.

LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan told KPCC in April that 63 percent of all new registered voters were 18- to 29-year-olds. He called the jump significant and unlike previous election cycles.

It is still unclear if the boost in registrations resulted in youth turning out to vote Tuesday in greater numbers. Voter turnout countywide Tuesday was about 30 percent, higher than the 2012 presidential primary (21.87 percent), but lower than the 2008 presidential primary turnout of 55.26 percent.

Elmer Roldan, who heads the United Way’s educational programs, said the LA Youth Vote program began last year with the LA Unified school board races. They registered 3,000 students in the local election.

“For us, we see this as a long-term platform for young people to be influential in the decisions that impact education,” he said. “What we envision is that we will engage young people throughout the summer and in November and really ride the wave.”

He said United Way plans on hosting student-moderated and student-run forums ahead of the school board elections in March.

Students were encouraged to share their photos on social media with the hashtag #PartyAtThePolls.

Just voted !!! @LAYouthVote #PartyAtThePolls pic.twitter.com/0eYEF40VOM

— Mike (@MichaelAsh_Fit) June 8, 2016

#PartyAtThePolls voted ?? pic.twitter.com/SYtBCSqwnz

— Jonesy Mcfly (@icebergfraiser) June 8, 2016

I voted. Did you?

A photo posted by @banninghsmagnet on Jun 7, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT

Don’t forget to vote, Polls Close at 8Pm #PartyAtThePolls @LAYouthVote pic.twitter.com/wNO5AKttaK

— Fatima (@LostInStereoXo) June 7, 2016

Voting in the Cesar E. Chavez auditorium. @PartnerwithLAEP @LAYouthVote #partyatthepolls pic.twitter.com/HkwuT3164g

— Jose M. Beltran Jr. (@chicanomadman) June 7, 2016

Laura Friedman, who came in first in the 43rd Assembly race, posted on Tuesday on her campaign’s Facebook page.
(source: www.facebook.com/laurafriedman2016)

*Updated

Education reformers spent big ahead of California’s primary, and preliminary results Wednesday show the millions paid off with all of the candidates they supported advancing to November’s general election.

Carlos Marquez, California Charter Schools Association Advocates’ director of political affairs, said he was excited by the primary results.

“There were a lot of races that we invested in, we wanted to make sure we invested in quality candidates,” Marquez said. “We feel really affirmed in the decisions.”

LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer railed Wednesday against the tactics used by the CCSA Advocates in the hotly contested 43rd Assembly District race and compared its spending in that race, at least $1.2 million, to special interest spending from oil and tobacco industries, which lobby for deregulation.

“This is no longer about choice. This is no longer about kids. It’s certainly not about civil rights,” he said. “It’s about deregulation. It’s about privatization.”

An independent expenditure committee called Parent Teacher Alliance sponsored by CCSA Advocates, the political arm of the CCSA, spent $910,791 on mailers supporting Glendale City Councilwoman Laura Friedman and $304,355 to oppose Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian, as of Friday, state campaign finance records show.

Friedman won the primary race, earning 31.9 percent of the vote total, capturing 24,372 votes, according to preliminary election results. Kassakhian finished in second place with 24.3 percent, receiving 18,618 votes. The two Democrats topped the eight-candidate ticket to replace outgoing Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank, who could not seek re-election due to term limits. They will likely compete in the Nov. 8 general election. The election results will not be finalized until mail-in and provisional ballots are counted. Voter turnout in the district was about 29 percent.

Photo posted on Ardy Kassakhian for Assembly 2016’s Facebook page.
(source: www.facebook.com/ArdyforAssembly/)

Zimmer denounced the negative mailers sent by CCSA Advocates that flooded voters’ mailboxes in the district that includes Glendale, Burbank, La Canada Flintridge and parts of Los Angeles.

“It is base thuggery, no more or no less,” Zimmer said.

He called Kassakhian, whom he endorsed, the target of the mailers, an “innocent bystander” and said Kassakhian’s only crime was having a mother who was a public school teacher and support from teachers’ unions.

“I aspire to be half as decent a guy as Ardy Kassakhian is,” Zimmer said. “To take him out the way they did, to use the hate in those mailers, it’s a new standard of low. It has no rules, no boundaries, no ethics, no morals.”

The spending by charter school supporters in this race could be a preview of what will happen in March, when three seats on the LA Unified school board will be contested. Zimmer is up for re-election in what is sure to be a highly contested race. A challenger has already announced in the race. In 2013, Zimmer’s last re-election bid, millions were poured into the three races by outside groups. He captured 52 percent of the votes to defeat his opponent, Kate Anderson, who was backed by CCSA.

Marquez said his group supported candidates in Tuesday’s primaries who had a record of problem solving and independence from the status quo.

In response to Zimmer’s comments, Marquez said: “We obviously respectfully disagree with President Zimmer on his rhetoric and his characterization of our campaign.”

He said the organization’s mission is to “advance the public good” and give every student in every ZIP code an opportunity to have a quality education.

Zimmer accused the CCSA of trying to control lucrative procurement contracts. Charter schools are not subject to the same standards for selecting vendors as public school districts.

“The reality is that his statements are not rooted in evidence or fact, they are rooted in emotion, ideology and rhetoric,” Marquez said, noting that the majority of charter schools are run by non-profits.

Zimmer said charter schools are not an issue in the Assembly district, which is known for its strong public schools.

“This is a whole new thing to create an issue in an Assembly district where it’s not an issue and to do it in this way,” Zimmer said. “This is new. This is different. This is a message.”

Zimmer, who has the support of the teachers union UTLA, said he considers himself a “reasonable moderate” when it comes to charter schools. He has been supportive and critical of aspects of the charter school movement.

“The good folks who joined the charter movement because of a strong conviction about the rights of children should actually withdraw their membership from the CCSA because it is no longer an organization that has any tangential relationship to what I know to be the core of the charter movement,” Zimmer said.

Congratulations to my endorsed candidate to replace me, @laurafriedman43, who crushed the field to finish first last night against all odds.

— Mike Gatto (@mikegatto) June 8, 2016

With regard to the level of spending by CCSA Advocates in the race, Marquez said special interest groups had supported Kassakhian early on in the campaign. Campaign records show spending by the California Association of Realtors supporting Kassakhian in April.

Marquez said the mailers were used to draw a contrast between candidates and to shine a light on Kassakhian’s record as city clerk.

“We are very sensitive and very thoughtful about how we put out content that might actually be perceived as negative or impugning of the candidate at hand,” he said. “And so the idea we approach this work with willful disregard for the reality that there is a person on the other side of that mailer” is inaccurate.

In an interview Wednesday, Friedman said she felt “really good about the results.”

“I think it shows the work that we’ve done and that our message and my accomplishments have resonated with the voters,” she said.

L.A. City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell with Laura Friedman on Tuesday night.
(courtesy)

Friedman, who was the subject of a negative mailer sent by the California Teachers Association, said she supports teachers and their right to unionize. She described herself as independent and open to creative solutions and outside the box thinking.

“I wouldn’t follow anybody’s agenda beyond what I think is best for kids,” she said.

“I think educators need to come together … to end the war that’s been going on.”

Friedman said that while the independent expenditure committee, which by law is not allowed to coordinate with the candidate, sent negative mailers, she kept her campaign positive.

“A lot of those messages were not things that we would have said, they’re not things that we did say,” she said.

Friedman was endorsed by Gatto, who tweeted: “Congratulations to my endorsed candidate to replace me, @laurafriedman43, who crushed the field to finish first last night against all odds.”

State campaign finance records show that about one-third of a record $27.9 million spent as of Friday by independent expenditure committees in legislative races statewide came from three groups supporting education reform, according to Rob Pyers of California Target Book, which provides a non-partisan analysis of state and congressional races.

In addition to CCSA Advocates, EdVoice, a non-profit organization that supports education reform but not solely charter schools, spent millions of dollars supporting candidates, mainly in Northern California races.

“We look for candidates that are willing to come to the capital of California and admit that the reality is not good enough,” said Bill Lucia, president and CEO of EdVoice.

He said there were a lot of open seats in this primary election cycle, which created an opportunity for new candidates “to come to Sacramento to fight for kids,” but also that it takes more financial resources to communicate to voters about who the new candidates are.

STATEWIDE RESULTS

Here’s how other candidates who were financially supported by independent expenditure committees that support education reform fared Tuesday, according to preliminary election results:

Southern California

In the 39th Assembly District contest in the San Fernando Valley, Democrat Raul Bocanegra took in 45.7 percent of the votes leading incumbent state Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, who had 26.9 percent of the votes. CCSA Advocates spent about $83,000 supporting Bocanegra, who lost the seat to Lopez two years ago. Lopez was endorsed by the CTA.

In the west San Fernando Valley’s 45th Assembly District, state Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, D-Encino, received 49.2 percent of the votes, while Republican candidate Jerry Kowal edged out Democrat Doug Kriegel by about 3 percentage points, receiving 27 percent. CCSA Advocates spent about $89,000 to support Dababneh, who was also endorsed by the CTA.

In the open 38th Assembly District race, which includes Santa Clarita, EdVoice-backed candidate Dante Acosta, a Republican, finished second with 35.9 percent of the votes. EdVoice spent $5,000 supporting Acosta. Democrat Christy Smith finished in first place with 44.8 percent of the votes.

In the 47th Assembly seat, state Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-Rialto, held a 44.8 percent lead over Eloise Reyes, a fellow Democrat, who earned 34 percent of the votes. CCSA Advocates spent $166,812 supporting Brown and $13,440 opposing Reyes.

Central California

In the 31st Assembly District contest, state Assemblyman Dr. Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, held a 55.4 percent lead in his re-election bid over Republican Clint Olivier, who garnered 38.5 percent of the vote. CCSA Advocates spent about $93,000 supporting Arambula, who was also endorsed by the CTA.

In an open seat representing the 30th Assembly District, Democrat Anna Caballero had 45.7 percent of the vote followed by Karina Cervantez Alejo with 25.1 percent. Alejo, a fellow Democrat, is trying to succeed her husband, outgoing incumbent state Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas. CCSA Advocates had spent $745,699 to support Caballero and spent about $20,000 to oppose Alejo.

Northern California

In San Jose’s 27th Assembly District, an open seat, Democrat Madison Nguyen topped the crowded ticket with 35.3 percent of the votes. She was followed by Ash Kalra, a fellow Democrat, who edged out Republican Van Le by about 3 percentage points. CCSA Advocates spent $1.2 million supporting Nguyen, the most of any single candidate, and about $35,000 to oppose Kalra, who was endorsed by the CTA.

Results in a tight race for the open 4th Assembly District seat, which includes Napa and Davis, showed EdVoice-backed candidate Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry, a Democrat, in second place behind Charlie Schaupp, a Republican. Schaupp had 29.1 percent of the votes, while Aguiar-Curry had 28.2 percent. EdVoice spent about $685,000 supporting Aguiar-Curry. CTA endorsed Democrat Dan Wolk, who finished in a close third place. EdVoice spent $103,607 to oppose Wolk.

Results in a close contest in the 24th Assembly District, which covers Palo Alto, showed Democrat Marc Berman with 28.2 percent of the votes followed by fellow Democrat Vicki Veenker with 21.8 percent of the votes. EdVoice spent about $648,000 supporting Berman. CTA endorsed Veenker.

Just 358 votes separated the top two finishers, both Democrats, in the 14th Assembly District race, which covers the East San Francisco Bay area. CTA-backed Mae Torlakson edged out Tim Grayson, who was backed by EdVoice, which spent $822,495 supporting Grayson and $266,730 opposing Torlakson. CTA spent $114,225 in TV ads and polling to support Torlakson.

In the open race for a seat representing the 3rd Senate District, which includes Napa, state Assemblyman Bill Dodd, D-Napa, who was backed by EdVoice, finished first with 37.1 percent of the votes, followed by Mariko Yamada, who took 29.1 percent of the votes. EdVoice spent $1.4 million to support Dodd.

*Updated to add:

Disclosure: LA School Report is the West Coast bureau of The74Million.org, which is funded in part by foundations whose board members have also contributed to the CCSA Advocates Independent Expenditure Committee and EdVoice.

Monica Ratliff plans to run for City Council.

UPDATED *

It’s official. Monica Garcia announced Tuesday to her supporters that she will be running to retain her seat on LA Unified’s school board.

Meanwhile, fellow board member Monica Ratliff surprised many education and City Hall watchers last week when she quietly took out papers with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission to allow her to run for the City Council seat that is being vacated by Felipe Fuentes. She has named a treasurer, David L. Gould, based in Long Beach, to start collecting money for that campaign. She has also set up a new email to deal specifically with that race.

Ratliff doesn’t want to publicly discuss leaving the board until the end of the school year, in mid-June, because she doesn’t want it to disrupt work she is still doing with the district. She notified each of her fellow board members of her decision before it broke in the media last week, and she asked them not to discuss it.

Monica Garcia has declared she’s running again.

Garcia, on the other hand, declared in an email Tuesday afternoon, “I’m in!”

Garcia writes, “It has been an incredible honor to serve you for the last 10 years; together we have been able to increase graduation and reduce the dropout rate. I am looking forward to continuing our work transforming this district so that all children can learn to read, write, think, believe and be college ready and career prepared. But I need your help to win.” She asks for $10, $25 or up to $100 to help launch her campaign for re-election.

So far, Garcia’s only declared competition, who also filed with the Ethics Commission, is Carl Petersen, a gadfly at the school board meetings who said he is purposefully moving into Garcia’s district to run against her.

Petersen said that he and his wife, Nicole, will move into the heavily Latino district that includes Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles so he can run against Garcia. Petersen said he has two children who graduated from LA Unified schools and triplets who are still in district schools. He spoke often to the board about issues he had at schools in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley. Petersen ran last year against incumbent Tamar Galatzan, who was ousted by Scott Schmerelson. Petersen came in fifth in that election with 10 percent of the vote.

“There will be people who will be suspicious of the fact that I will move into District 2 to enter this race,” Petersen writes in his newsletter. “I understand your concern and assure you that I am doing so because our children need a parent on the board to fight for them. I am taking the fight to District 2 because Monica Garcia has lost touch with the needs of the children and represents the worst attributes of our dysfunctional school board.” Garcia offered no comment about Petersen’s intention to move into her district to run against her.

Next year, three of the seven board seats are up for re-election: District 2 of downtown and East Los Angeles (Garcia’s seat), District 6 of the northeast San Fernando Valley (Ratliff’s) and District 4 of the Westside and Hollywood, currently held by board president Steve Zimmer, who is expected to run again for his seat.

So far, Nick Melvoin is the only person who has declared for the District 4 seat, but there’s still time. Candidates for school board don’t have to declare they will run until June. These three seats on the board run through June 30, 2017. The remaining board members are elected through Dec. 13, 2020.

It’s likely the school board elections will fall along lines of strong charter supporters, such as Melvoin and Garcia, and be hugely expensive.

The last election resulted in a mixed bag between the pro-reform and pro-union camps. Ref Rodriguez, who helped start a charter school, won, as did Schmerelson, who has vocalized a strong distaste for a proliferation of charter schools. Richard Vladovic and George McKenna were re-elected to their districts.

School board members who choose to serve full time earn a little over $45,637 a year, about the equivalent to a first-year’s teacher salary in the district. Ratliff, Garcia, Zimmer and Rodriguez take part-time salaries as school board members, accepting $26,346 a year.

On the other hand, City Council members earn nearly $190,000 a year, far more than Ratliff could earn as an elementary teacher, her former job. LA has one of the highest salaries for elected council members in the country.

The school board terms are for four years, and there are three term limits. The City Council seats are also four years but limited to two terms.

Ratliff faces 12 opponents for the City Council seat, but that’s no daunting task for her. She faced 13 candidates in the last school board election, and she was vastly outspent by her primary challenger, Antonio Sanchez, who raised about $2.1 million. Ratliff raised just under $88,000.

Ratliff is known for her interest in stabilizing the school board’s budget, and she was often teased by former Superintendent Ramon Cortines for her persistent questioning. Fellow board members, even when they contend with her, have yielded to her deep-dive questioning and analysis of complex budgets, which has led to uncovering problems with the MiSiS computer system and various ways of saving the district money.

In recent weeks, Ratliff visited city and civic groups and met with neighborhood councils that advise City Council members. Garry Fordyce of the North Hills West Neighborhood Council said he was impressed with Ratliff when he met her at one of those community meetings and followed her to other events that she led, including the recent town hall with new Superintendent Michelle King.

“I am shocked that Monica Ratliff is not staying with the school board,” Fordyce said. “I’m a numbers person and she is too, and she did some good there. The City Council is a nasty situation. Her leaving will be a big loss for the schools.”

So far, no one has thrown his or her hat in for Ratliff’s  seat, and no one is speculating yet who will run. Stay tuned.

*Corrects that the school board is now limited to three terms.