Main Responsibilities Of A School Board Member At Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District school board member Tanya's main responsibilities include approving the budget and supervising the superintendent, a task magnified by the district's size as "the second largest District in the country and the largest elected school board". This role involves extensive community engagement to ensure "their voice is heard in policy making," achieved through school visits, collaborations with stakeholders, and policy adjustments to best serve the district's half-million students and 80,000 employees.
Policy Making, Budget Approval, Community Engagement, Educational Leadership, Superintendent Evaluation
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. Approving the district budget
2. Supervising and evaluating the superintendent
3. Ensuring constituent voices are heard in policy-making
Transcript
What are some of the main responsibilities as a board member for the La Union School District?
Most school board members across the country are responsible for two main things: approving the budget and supervising and evaluating the superintendent. In LA Unified, it's a bit special because we are the second largest district in the country and have the largest elected school board.
This means we have a lot of responsibility to our constituents, ensuring their voices are heard in policymaking at the local level. I spend a lot of time doing that and visiting schools.
I visit schools to see if our policies and practices are working well and helping kids achieve, or if we need to make significant changes. We often make these changes in coalition with other school board members, community partners, educators, parents, and students.
LA Unified has quite a constituency, serving about half a million kids and nearly 80,000 employees.