LAUSD’s oddly shaped District 5, will get a new representative this year — with four candidates vying to replace retirng board President Jackie Goldberg.
District 5 includes a long sliver that extends from North Los Angeles down through Koreatown and Pico Union before taking in much of Southeast LA County, from South Gate to Vernon.
The seven-member Board of Education oversees policy for Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the nation, with about 429,000 students.
The election is Tuesday, March 5, though vote-by-mail ballots have already gone out.
Here’s a look at the candidates:
Fidencio Gallardo
Gallardo, 56, is the mayor of Bell and his LAUSD campaign is focused on the importance of strong neighborhood public schools.
“This means that every child, regardless of their ZIP code,” he said, “has access to a high-quality education in their neighborhood.”
Gallardo is a product of LAUSD schools and has spent 34 years in the district as a teacher, counselor, administrator and a deputy to Goldberg. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from USC and a teaching credential and master’s in educational administration from Cal State Los Angeles.
His priorities include improving student learning and achievement by reducing class sizes at all grade levels and making sure schools are fully staffed; improving learning conditions by making schools “safer, cleaner, and greener;” and “improving outcomes for communities of color by increasing investment in community schools.”
He said the biggest challenges at LAUSD are declining enrollment, deteriorating infrastructure and lack of adequate and appropriate staffers at all school sites. Charter schools, he said, have been a contributing factor in the enrollment decline.
Karla Griego
Griego, 51, has lived in Eagle Rock for more than 20 years and has never held public office.
Griego, a special education teacher for 20 years, said she was inspired by her daughter, students and…
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