Three SOE alumni are among those recently elected to the seven-member Board of Education for the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD) on November 3.
Kelly Gonez M.A. ’13 was re-elected to District 6, which encompasses most of the East San Fernando Valley; Board Vice President Nick Melvoin M.A. ’10 was re-elected to District 4, representing West Los Angeles and the West San Fernando Valley; and Tanya Ortiz Franklin M.A. ’07 was newly elected to represent District 7, which covers South L.A. neighborhoods east of the 110 freeway as well as much of the South Bay. All three of them served as teachers and/or educational leaders prior to running for office.
“LMU SOE has scores of alumni who serve in public office,” says Maggie Bove-LaMonica M.A. ’05, J.D. ’13, director of the non-profit Leadership for Educational Equity and current Board Chair of the SOE Alumni Association. “I’m so proud to be part of the School of Education’s tradition of leadership and civic engagement for kids.”
LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the nation, behind only New York City’s Department of Education. It serves a highly diverse population of more than 650,000 students and comprises nearly 15,000 schools and centers. The seven-member board appoints a superintendent and runs the district’s daily operations.
