Editorial: Reelect Scott Schmerelson to L.A. Unified school board

Feb. 4, 2024 5 AM PT

The ever-present dilemma for leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District is whether to push for more and quicker change, because most students are still not at grade level in reading and math, or to opt for a slower and steadier course in a district that’s on its fifth superintendent in 10 years.

Right now, stability is the better choice. As troubled as the district is on several fronts, it has been making some good moves: directing more attention and resources toward raising Black student achievement, adopting the “science of reading” approach in literacy instruction and investing in community schools, which provide health, recreational and other services to students and, in some cases, to neighborhoods. These initiatives deserve to stay in place.

Less wise is the decision by Supt. Alberto Carvalho to move away from Primary Promise, an intensive tutoring program that was successful at bringing the youngest students up to speed in literacy and math, in favor of an intervention covering more grades and using already overworked teachers.

That might have been the wrong move, but switching back would be worse at the moment. Carvalho needs a chance to try his ideas and the board is smart not to micromanage. It takes time for new programs to show their worth or lack of it. A stable school board will give the superintendent room to succeed and hold him accountable if he doesn’t.

Maintaining this stability is one of the main reasons we recommend that voters reelect school board member and retired principal Scott Schmerelson for a final four-year term in District 3, which covers the west San Fernando Valley. Though he tends to side with the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, he has also made independent-minded decisions. One example: He opposed the move to gut the school police department, although UTLA had called for it to be eliminated. At that point, the district hadn’t even assessed its security needs, and the education veteran was right to put school safety first.

He has been effective at bringing popular magnet schools to his district, though he also should be working harder to bring those to other parts of L.A. Unified.

Schmerelson has worked with the board on reaching reasonable solutions rather than taking ideological sides. At least two of the board’s seven seats will change hands this year because George J. McKenna III and Jackie Goldberg are retiring, making it all the more important that Schmerelson remain on the board to avoid disruption.

Asked about his goals for a final term, Schmerelson said he wanted to keep working on current initiatives, such as community schools. That’s fine, but if he retains his seat, he should look for new ways to improve kids’ educational experience, not warming that seat for the next four years.

Four people are running to replace him in the March primary. The main challenger, Dan Chang, teaches math at James Madison Middle School in North Hollywood. He has a long association with charter schools and school reform organizations, though he now teaches at a traditional public school. Chang is smart, dynamic and itching to change things, but when asked how he would do that he talked about updating teacher training and staff meetings so that they are more relevant and less boring. Fair enough, but that’s not at the top of the list of L.A. Unified’s needs, and even most teachers are more concerned about class size, discipline and their students’ mental health.

The other candidates are parent advocate Elizabeth Badger, parent and school volunteer Andreas Farmakalidis and parent activist Raquel Villalta.

But Schmerelson is clearly the strongest of the five candidates, and his experience and balanced leadership are what the board needs right now.