Favorite Parts of Being a School Board Member at Los Angeles Unified School District
Tanya, a Los Angeles Unified School District board member, finds the greatest fulfillment in "making a real impact" on the lives of thousands of students within her community, leveraging the district's substantial budget to make strategic decisions that benefit them. The competitive election process and the significant responsibility of managing a "$20 billion" budget add weight to the role, but the opportunity to shape the future of so many children makes it worthwhile.
Executive/Leadership, Community Impact, Budget Management, Strategic Decision-Making, Political Engagement
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Tanya Ortiz Franklin
School Board Member
Los Angeles Unified School District
Columbia University 2005
Loyola Marymount University, MA Elementary Education; UCLA School of Law JD, Public Interest Law & Policy, Critical Race Studies
Political Science, American Studies
Education
Education
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Making a real impact on the lives of thousands of kids by influencing their education and future opportunities.
2. Being involved in significant budget decisions ($20 billion) and strategic planning for a large school district.
3. The opportunity to serve the community and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, particularly those from the same background as the board member herself.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being a board member?
I love the opportunity to make a real impact. Unified is the second largest district in the country, but it's also where I grew up. I have friends whose kids attend our schools, and my daughter will potentially attend them too.
I think it makes a big difference when someone is from a community and wants to do better by their community. It's a big battle to win an election in Los Angeles, particularly for school boards. These can be really contentious and have a lot of outside money thrown at them.
But once you get to be in this position and serve, it's a huge opportunity to make an impact on the lives of thousands of kids. Hopefully, we can help them get to college and change the world with the career paths they choose.
I make big budget decisions. We're a huge district with a $20 billion budget this year. That is weighty, and we can do a lot with $20 billion for half a million kids, but we can't do everything.
So we still have to make really strategic decisions and work with a lot of different stakeholders. But I really enjoy the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of my community.