Teachers union backed candidates win election to Los Angeles Unified school board

Candidates Kelly Gonez and Rocio Rivas won the two seats up for election to the Los Angeles Unified school board, reflecting a growing influence from the teachers union on the board. Gonez won reelection to her district 6 seat, following a closer than expected race against teacher Marvin Rodriguez. Rivas, a senior aide for school board member Jackie Goldberg, follows termed out school board member Monica Garcia in district 2 after a run against InnerCity Struggle director Maria Brenes.

Currently, Gonez has just over 51% of the vote, in comparison to Rodriguez’s nearly 49%, and Rivas has more than 52% of the vote in comparison to Brenes’ nearly 48%. Brenes conceded Wednesday, while Rodriguez is waiting for all the votes to get counted.

Along with the rest of the seven-member school board, the two newly elected board members will tackle learning loss and declining enrollment, both issues exacerbated by the pandemic. Enrollment has continued to drop, impacting school funding, which depends on both enrollment and attendance. The pandemic has spotlighted disparities in learning throughout the district, particularly for Black and Latino students.