Bernstein Reelected to Head Teachers Union

United Teachers-Los Angeles President Helen Bernstein has been elected to her second two-year term as head of the union that represents the Los Angeles Unified School District’s 36,000 teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses and psychologists.

With about a third of the union’s 28,500 members casting mail-in ballots, Bernstein won reelection by a 3-1 margin over her only challenger, 10th Street Elementary School teacher Robert Matano. The union’s other six top leaders were also reelected by wide margins.

Bernstein, 47, has made school reform her top priority. She spearheaded the district’s program to transfer more authority to schools and serves on the board of a group formed by business and community leaders to restructure the city’s 640,000-student public school system.