Misplaced Optimism: A Year of Accountability Promised — and Withheld at LAUSD

“We must hold the Superintendent accountable”

– Karla Griego (2024)

Ten years ago, I ran for a seat on the LAUSD Board of Education to change the district I believed was failing its students, especially those with Special Education needs. My opponent was Tamar Galatzan, an entrenched incumbent who was backed by the charter school industry. I achieved the lowest cost per vote, just 69 cents, in the entire city during that election cycle. While it wasn’t enough to win the seat, our campaign helped knock Galatzan out of office. This helped to clear a pathway for change and raised expectations that accountability might finally follow.

After that race, I made a promise to those who trusted me with their vote that I would continue to fight for public education. Over the past decade, I have done my best to honor that commitment, often against institutional resistance. I ran into more than a few brick walls. Still, there were moments when persistence mattered; when pressure, documentation, and public scrutiny forced movement from a bureaucracy determined to remain unyielding.

Last January, I wrote that I was “cautiously optimistic” about the future of the district. It had become clear throughout the previous year that longtime board members Jackie Goldberg and George McKenna were tired and no longer up to the fight our students needed. Fortunately, voters had chosen successors, Karla Griego and Sherlett Hendy Newbill, who shared their support of public education. I had hoped that they would bring a new energy to the LAUSD boardroom and pave the way for meaningful change.

A year later, as I look back, that optimism feels misplaced. After promising accountability, the board, despite a supposed majority that claimed to support public education, voted unanimously in September to renew Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s contract. They did so in closed session, without any input from the public. The decision was widely condemned by the stakeholders who had worked to get these members elected.

Even when the board took positive steps forward, its efforts were often overturned by forces outside the district, revealing how limited local accountability has become. As an example, after thoroughly documenting why one of the KIPP franchises was failing its students, the LAUSD Board voted 4-3-0 to reject its request to renew its charter. This decision was supported by the staff at the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), who stated “Closure of the charter school [was] in the best interest of pupils.” The evidence the staff used to back up this decision was ignored by the LACOE Board and they voted 4-3-0 to allow the failing school to continue operating.

With Scott Schmerelson set to retire after the 2028 election, I had planned to run again. However, my move to the state of Washington has made that impossible. Hopefully, someone else will step up to bring the fight our students so desperately need.

What follows is a snapshot of how accountability repeatedly stalled, or was overridden, throughout the year.:

January

• Will Accountability Happen Behind Closed Doors?

The LAUSD Board held a closed session to evaluate Superintendent Carvalho, who is being criticized for how he handled the LA fire crisis.

February

• Who’s In Charge?

LAUSD Board Member Karla Griego tried to find out why school sites are not seeing more arts programs. District bureaucrats shut her down.

• Los Angeles School District Dodged A Bullet

Graciela Ortiz, the Charter School supported candidate in last November’s LAUSD BD5 election is under investigation in a corruption probe.

March

• Why Isn’t The School District Settling This Lawsuit?

Lawyers representing LAUSD students claim the District risks over $100 million by continuing to misuse PROP 28 funds meant for arts education.

• Your Taxes At Work

A pending lawsuit against El Camino Real Charter High School exposes a publicly funded private school in chaos, leaving students in danger.

April

• Holding County Supervisors Accountable?

Will the public heed a call to action after the LA County Office of Education voted to let a failing charter school continue operating?

May

Do Charter School Students Deserve To Be Safe?

Supporters of the Charter School Industry spend millions to elect school board members who won’t hold these schools accountable for safety.

June

• Public Funds, Private Loopholes: Neighborhood Council Questions Charter School’s Plans

Citizens of the World Charter Schools skirt safety laws, endangering students and straining neighborhoods with a project next to a freeway.

July

• LACOE Charter School Oversight Is Broken — And It’s About to Get Worse

Los Angeles County loses an advocate for public education as Supervisor Janice Hahn does not reappoint Betty Forrester to the LACOE Board.

August

• CCSA Doesn’t Care

The LAUSD tried to protect students attending schools in the most economically vulnerable neighborhoods. Charter schools sued to stop them.

September

• Three LAUSD Incumbents Running For Re-election

In 2026, LAUSD voters in even-numbered districts will decide who controls the board — and possibly the future of charter vs. public schools.

October

• Another LAUSD Incumbent Gets An Opponent

Parent advocate J.P. Perron challenges LAUSD incumbent Kelly Gonez, bringing years of special education activism to the ballot.

November

• When Independent Oversight Becomes Optional: A Brewing LAUSD Bond Committee Scandal

LAUSD’s credibility crisis deepens: oversight appointment stalled, raising questions about ethics, transparency, and political retaliation.

December

• On the Record: Dr. Rocío Rivas on Promises, Progress, and What’s Next

Grading her first term, a LAUSD School Board member explains what’s been done, what surprised her, and what still isn’t finished.

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Carl Petersen is a former Green Party candidate for the LAUSD School Board and a longtime advocate for public education and special needs families. Now based in Washington State, he writes about politics, culture, and their intersections at TheDifrntDrmr.