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Los Angeles Unified special meeting, Sep 23, 2026

7 h 00 min · 2 videos

Enrollment ▶ 1:24
Meeting video · district archiveLos Angeles UnifiedSep 23, 2026Watch on the district’s video site ↗Opens in a new tab; skip to 6:43

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 7 h 00 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  2. Tanya Ortiz FranklinBoard Member
  3. Karla GriegoBoard Member
  4. Scott SchmerelsonBoard President
  5. Sherlett Hendy NewbillBoard Member
  6. Nick MelvoinBoard Member
  7. Rocio RivasBoard Vice President
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Los Angeles Unified board holds governance workshop to begin drafting a handbook 0:03

  • The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education held a special workshop on governance, where facilitators said the work would cover the first steps of a governance handbook. 0:03
  • Board members reviewed board bylaws in the 9000s and board policies in the 2000s and ranked a list of 30 protocols, with a facilitator reporting that number 27 drew the most interest and number 13 the second most. 1:02:17
  • Members also discussed dos and don'ts for the governance team in collective bargaining. 2:43:05
  • A facilitator said the facilitators would work with a subcommittee on a draft handbook and asked the board to set aside time in October or November to continue. 3:26:04

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (11)
  1. Opening and early public comment 0:03
    • A staff member took roll and said part of public comment would be taken at the start of the meeting and the rest at the end. 0:03
    • A speaker at public comment said the district has an academic achievement problem and that parents are choosing other academic options. 1:24
    • Another speaker at public comment said parents want to know what schools are going to close and the reasons. 4:05
  2. Review of meeting guidelines 6:43
    • One board member suggested adding to the second guideline that remarks be kept brief so the board can accomplish the work. 18:39
    • One board member said a timer is valuable for keeping speakers focused, and another board member asked whether the second guideline could be broken up or reworded. 20:45
    • A facilitator said notes had been taken on changes and would be brought back to the board. 24:56
  3. Example governance handbook 24:56
    • A facilitator passed around a Corona-Norco Unified School District handbook as an example and said every handbook looks different. 24:56
    • A consultant said that board reviews its handbook annually and its members sign it. 28:25
  4. Working styles and building relationships 29:56
    • One board member asked how the lack of relationship scores affects the team and suggested board members visit one another's board districts. 38:55
    • One board member said they would never visit a school without first telling that area's board member. 54:42
  5. Board and superintendent roles policies 59:33
    • One board member said the board should be clear about which decisions require board approval and which require only notice. 1:32:03
    • Asked for a perspective, the superintendent said the board has the final say on senior management positions and described relying on region teams for principal recommendations. 1:35:27
    • Karla Griego said that small group wanted to add wellness to the first item and to change a paragraph on school visits to reflect current practice. 1:45:03
  6. Governance versus administration roles 1:58:35
    • A facilitator said the governance team consists of the trustees and the superintendent. 1:58:35
    • A staff member said the strategic plan should be the board's guide and that the district is in its second strategic plan. 2:08:58
  7. Governance scenario exercise 2:13:19
    • One board member said a board member in the scenario moved into management by emailing a principal to change a teacher's classroom schedule. 2:29:08
    • One board member said a handbook should be developed before such an incident happens. 2:33:01
    • One board member said asking to change a teacher's program was the worst action in the scenario. 2:34:23
  8. Ranking of sample protocols 2:35:04
    • A facilitator asked members to choose three of 30 listed protocols the board most needs to discuss. 2:35:04
    • One board member said they had added a note about explaining abstentions, saying it would help the public understand them. 2:41:50
  9. Collective bargaining dos and don'ts 2:42:43
    • Nick Melvoin said the board has debated whether some issues belong in a contract or in a resolution or policy. 2:59:15
    • One board member said the contract should reflect things that impact children in the community as well as the classroom. 3:01:17
    • One board member said a guideline to minimize disagreement feels stifling. 3:10:41
  10. Protocol ranking results 3:16:00
    • A facilitator said protocol 27, on managing difficult topics in an atmosphere of mutual respect, drew the most interest, followed by 13. 3:17:41
    • Scott Schmerelson said protocol 18 concerns allowing the majority vote to set the direction. 3:19:08
  11. Next steps and closing public comment 3:23:30
    • A facilitator said the facilitators would work with a subcommittee on a draft handbook and asked the board to set aside time in October or November. 3:26:04
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to look at Board Rule 2110 and 9323 and said the board should set the direction. 3:29:19

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Special Board of Education”