The LAUSD school board has an empty seat due to the resignation of charter founder Ref Rodriguez’s resignation following his conviction for money laundering.

The board will decide Tuesday whether to fill that seat.

It has the opportunity to appoint a uniquely qualified person: the legendary Jackie Goldberg.

“Perhaps you’ve heard that Jackie Goldberg is being considered for appointment to Ref Rodriguez’ vacant District 5 School board seat?

“The deal is, she won’t run for either a special election or the regular election in 2020 if the LAUSD board will appoint her to Rodriguez’ vacant seat.

“If you’re familiar with Jackie Goldberg, you may know her as a 7-times-elected official to LAUSD’s school board, the City of Los Angeles City Council and State of California Assembly.

“It’s also possible you’re familiar with her no-holds-barred rebukes at the School Board. This is a person who speaks Truth To Power and is comfortable with it.

“Because while frank, she’s not dogmatic and in truth weaves a conciliatory road of compromise and practicality even while seemingly unfazed by belting out that Truth.

“You may have heard she is “against” Charters yet that is not true. She is on record supporting Charter Schools, over and over again; yet she also fights for them to be held accountable in the same way as regular public District Schools, to have the same requirements for transparency and the equity that anchors the very foundation of our democracy: Public Education for one and all.

“When our current school board members act shocked at accusations of Trumpism among the LAUSD board and snuggling up with plutocrats, even while tacitly condoning or even protecting Rodriguez’ tenure in the midst of accumulating legal corruption charges, there is a rank disconnect with this whole sordid Ref-affair that really doesn’t wash.

“Ref Rodriguez withheld disclosure that he was under investigation for felony fraud when he accepted the Chair of LAUSD’s board; he withheld resignation from the board long enough to cast its deciding vote in favor of the controversial selection of a non-Educator as Superintendent. And he hefted this standard for Poor Governance all the while that his fellow board members and local politicos protested the flood of Poor Governance at a national level.

“To make good on their protestations of clean politics and an Ideology of Equity, Nick Melvoin, Monica Garcia, Dick Vladovic and Kelly Gonez must come together to appoint Jackie Goldberg to the LAUSD board on Tuesday, August 21.

“This will insulate the board from the next utterly bruising campaign for LAUSD5, whether as a special or regular election. For a sitting board member to be involved in the sorts of shenanigans that characterize the new normal board election, would distract and deflect from the Good Governance critical at this moment to our beleaguered school board. On their docket is the threat of strike from our teachers and the dilemma of accounting for future employee benefits, managing equity within a beleaguered system and protecting our students from social winds of change operating at a national-level.

“We are amazingly lucky to have a public servant of Jackie Goldberg’s caliber, character and integrity available to serve LAUSD5 in this moment of acute need. She is an actual exemplar of Good Governance who can provide that voice which would Represent and truly Protect LA’s children of all stripes, independent of whatever public school they happen to attend, or the theories, fears or ideology suffusing the adults surrounding them in charge of choosing where it is that they attend.

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