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This article is part of 社区黑料鈥檚 EDlection 2024 coverage, which takes a look at candidates鈥� education policies and how they might impact the American education system after the 2024 election.

Next month, thousands of school board elections will be decided across the country. But perhaps none will be as consequential as a single, heated race for LA Unified鈥檚 school board, one that could help decide the fate of the nation鈥檚 largest charter school sector and second largest public school district. 

Once a fast-growing experiment in education reform, LA Unified鈥檚 decades-old charter school sector has never seen challenges like those it faces today, with falling enrollment, tough new policies, and a hostile school board that has throttled charters鈥� access to public school space.

But the school board part of that equation could shift, if LAUSD teacher and charter-supporting rabble rouser Dan Chang can take LA Unified鈥檚 seat for school board District 3 in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, from teachers鈥� union-backed incumbent Scott Schmerelson.

Chang and Schmerelson share many of the same priorities for board policies, but Chang said he sought to address and in LA Unified, while Schmerelson said he鈥檇 seek to ensure traditional district-run public schools aren鈥檛 constrained by the presence of charters in public school buildings. 

With the teachers鈥� union struggling to defend its 4-3 majority on the board, Chang and Schmerelson鈥檚 race will decide whether the board tips in favor of charters and school reforms, versus more orthodox approaches to improving schools favored by the union.   

Chang, a math teacher at James Madison Middle School in North Hollywood, whose first education job was at a charter school management organization, said in an interview that if he is elected he鈥檇 juice the city鈥檚 charter sector by moving to repeal the controversial policy established this year that limits where charters may operate.  

鈥淟A Unified needs a new voice,鈥� said Chang, who also previously led the boards of in the San Fernando Valley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 critical to have someone with my experience on the board.鈥�

The contest in District 3 is the most expensive school board race this year in LA, a city known for the, with more than $4 million raised or spent on behalf of the campaigns of Chang and Schmerelson.

Schmerelson, a former teacher and principal who’s held the seat at District 3 since 2014, is on the board, beat Chang in the March primaries, winning nearly 45% of the vote, compared to 29% for Chang.   

It wasn鈥檛 enough to prevent the race from going to a runoff at the general election next month, but Schmerelson, who is viewed as the favorite in the race, is sanguine. He has some reason to be confident, having broad support in his district and a track record of winning.

鈥淚 accept that I was elected by my constituents in board District 3, and I make sure that my schools get the attention that they need, everything that they need,鈥� said Schmerelson. 

In 2020 Schmerelson in the general election, despite more than $6 million spent on Koziatek鈥檚 behalf by groups including those backing charter schools.

鈥淭he race is Scott鈥檚 to lose,鈥� said David Tokofsky, former LAUSD board member and district gadfly.  

Tokofsky, who has worked on LAUSD board races for decades, estimated Chang鈥檚 campaign would have to outspend Schmerelson by four to one in order to capture the seat.

The show Chang鈥檚 campaign hasn鈥檛 quite reached the magic 4:1 ratio, yet. Chang鈥檚 campaign and its backers have raised or spent more than $3.6 million so far in the race, compared to nearly $1.4 million for Schmerelson鈥檚 campaign.

But with nearly a month left in the race, that could still change, Tokofsky said.

Los Angeles Unified is the largest district in the country controlled by a school board. LAUSD board members are relatively well-compensated compared to those of many other districts, with yearly salaries of $125,000. 

LAUSD school board members are also given a staff. Board members choose the district鈥檚 superintendent, help set district policy and control LA Unified鈥檚 $18.8 billion budget. 

LAUSD board elections in 2017 set a record for the most expensive school board races in U.S. history, with around $15 million spent that year on races that moved the board in the direction of pro-charter education reformers.

The outsize campaign spending in Los Angeles is unique, because the city has an organized opposition in the charter community to the teachers鈥� union, setting up arms races in campaign spending to control the board.

That鈥檚 compared to other cities, where unions often dominate board elections and their candidates often coast to victory. In places like New York and Chicago, the mayor appoints the school board, so unions concentrate their money on mayoral races.

With nearly 20% of the district鈥檚 enrollment, including LAUSD-affiliated charters, the charter sector in Los Angeles is the nation鈥檚 largest, with well-organized operations in advocacy and campaign finance.

The statewide California Charter School Association Advocates has endorsed Chang and helped fund efforts to get him elected, including television and radio advertisements targeted at LAUSD families who will vote in next month鈥檚 election.

CCASA Advocates Executive Director Gregory McGinity said his group is confident that Chang will fight to improve educational options and boost academic outcomes for all LAUSD students and not just those in charter schools.

鈥淗is commitment to expanding access to high-quality public schools鈥攂oth traditional and charter public schools鈥攁ligns with our mission to empower families,鈥� McGinity said. 鈥淲e are confident in his ability to represent all voices and champion educational equity for all students.鈥�

, which endorsed Schmerelson and helped fund efforts to keep his seat in this year鈥檚 race, didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment on the race this year.

But in a statement on the union web site, UTLA lists the qualifications of Schmerelson, a former Spanish teacher, saying that he has ensured funding for schools in his district and pushed for changes in LA Unified to make schools cleaner and safer, reduce class sizes and boost students鈥� test scores.

鈥淪chmerelson will make sure students feel safe and can meet their full potential,鈥� states the UTLA鈥檚 endorsement.

UTLA has a track record of, and after charter advocates gained control of the board in.

Both Chang and Schmerelson said ensuring a post-pandemic academic recovery for all LAUSD students, increasing campus safety and addressing enrollment declines are among their top priorities for new policies in the coming years.

Where they differ is how to achieve those aims, with Schmerelson favoring magnet programs, high-impact tutoring and investments in traditional public schools as a means for academic improvement, compared to Chang鈥檚 emphasis on high-performing charters.

Both men favor the presence of police on LAUSD campuses as a means of improving school safety. The winner of the pivotal race will help shape the direction of the district as it contends with challenges including a shrinking budget and increasing school violence.

 鈥淭he weird thing is, if you listen to the candidates, it’s very hard to tell them apart. They all say more-or-less the same things on the issues,鈥� said Pedro Noguera, dean of University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.

鈥淪o you can’t really distinguish the candidates based on what they’re saying or what they’re putting out in campaign materials,鈥� he added. 鈥淵ou really do have to follow the money.鈥�

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