Korenstein to Seek 4th Term on School Board

Julie Korenstein, the senior member of the Los Angeles Board of Education, has officially announced her bid to run for a fourth term.

“We are improving, but we need to strive for even greater achievement,” Korenstein said. “I intend to continue taking care of the needs of children and families and being a strong advocate for the San Fernando Valley.”

Korenstein, 53, represents District 6 in the mid-Valley. She was first elected to the board in 1987 in mid-term, after the resignation of board member David Armor. Korenstein was reelected in 1989 after a caustic race against Byrd Middle School Principal Jerry Horowitz. In 1993, after an unsuccessful bid two years earlier for Hal Bernson’s 12th District City Council seat, Korenstein ran again for the school board, defeating Eli Brent, former head of the principals’ union.

Korenstein is chairwoman of the Business and Operations Committee and is a member of the School Safety/Campus Environment Committee.

Among her top priorities during her next term, Korenstein said, would be to continue pushing educational reform efforts in the district, expansion of the LEARN program, improved safety at schools and focusing on maintaining the recent upturn in test scores in Los Angeles schools. She also said she would continue to support efforts to split up the 650,000-student district.

“I have never agreed with a massive fragmentation of the district,” Korenstein said, “but I have supported a separate San Fernando Valley district, which would still be the second biggest in the state.”

As a Valley resident for nearly 30 years, Korenstein said she also recognizes the importance of installing air-conditioning in all Valley schools.

“It’s pretty tough for the children to learn when they’re at their desks melting along with their crayons,” she said.