August 13, 2014
Contact:
Steven Levin
Los Angeles, California — Today, the California Charter Schools Association Advocates (CCSA Advocates) wishes to congratulate Dr. George McKenna on his victory in the Los Angeles Unified School District Board District 1 special runoff election. Though the organization endorsed Dr. McKenna’s opponent, Alex Johnson, it wishes Dr. McKenna the best as he assumes his new role and greatly looks forward to working with him on improving public education for students in Board District 1 and across LAUSD.
Johnson and McKenna were the top two finishers in the June primary election, which was called for Board District 1 following the death of former board member Marguerite LaMotte. After interviewing multiple candidates for the primary, CCSA Advocates decided to endorse Johnson in the runoff.
“We knew from the beginning that electing Alex to office would be an uphill challenge,” said Gary Borden, Executive Director of CCSA Advocates. “A majority of voters in Board District chose Dr. McKenna to represent them, and we are firmly committed to working with him and the other members of the board on ensuring that students in Board District 1 and across the district are receiving the best possible education.”
Borden added that while Johnson earned the organization’s endorsement, Dr. McKenna has made clear that he supports high-performing charter schools. “Dr. McKenna is an advocate for students and we have no doubt that he will support schools – both traditional and charter – that yield strong academic growth for students in Board District 1 and throughout LAUSD. He has a long track record of service to LA’s kids and we know he will work with Superintendent Deasy to continue the pro-student reforms underway in LAUSD.”
Board District 1 includes 36 charter schools, which outperform traditional schools and are especially effective at advancing the learning of Latino and African American students, according to a recent study by CREDO at Stanford University.
With the Board District 1 special election completed, CCSA Advocates turns its attention to supporting pro-charter school candidates in upcoming state and local races in November, as well as LAUSD Board Districts 3, 5 and 7 in March 2015.
“We firmly believe that every student in LAUSD and across California has the right to a high-quality public education and to educational choice. We are committed to supporting candidates who have that same vision,” Borden concluded.
About CCSA Advocates
CCSA Advocates is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the involvement of the charter school community in the political process, creating a pipeline of charter school supporters and activists, electing public officials who support California charter public schools, and growing the political influence of the California charter public school movement. For more information, please visit www.ccsaadvocates.org.
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