Voters are set to choose who will represent them on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, with three seats on the seven-member board on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary election. The races matter because LAUSD serves more than 520,000 students across a 710-square-mile district and is confronting major budget, enrollment and leadership pressures.
California school boards oversee operations, finances, educational priorities and policy, which puts the LAUSD board in a central role as the district works through its current challenges. Those issues include a projected structural budget deficit of about $877 million for the 2026-27 school year, a near teacher strike in April and the temporary replacement of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who has been on paid leave since February after his home was searched by federal agents.
District 2: Downtown and East L.A. focus
District 2 covers a large part of downtown and East Los Angeles and includes 76 elementary schools, 11 middle schools and 24 high schools. LAUSD data says the district served 55,014 students during the 2025-26 school year.
Two candidates are running for the seat: incumbent and board vice president Rocío Rivas, and Raquel Zamora, a teacher and counselor who has worked with LAUSD for 20 years. Rivas said she wants the board to keep investing in student outcomes while making strategic budget changes.
Rivas said she supports “strategic adjustments rather than reactive cuts” that could hit high-need schools the hardest. She also pointed to auditing contracts, reducing outside consultants, using nonprofit partnerships and leveraging bonds for long-term operational savings.
Zamora said budget decisions should keep students and classrooms at the center. She said that means protecting core instructional programs, reasonable class sizes and support services such as counselors, librarians, nurses and special education.
District 4: Westside voters weigh two contenders
District 4 primarily represents the Westside and includes 57 elementary schools, 11 middle schools and six high schools. It had the second-lowest enrollment among the seven districts during the 2025-26 school year, with 43,629 students.
Incumbent Nick Melvoin faces Ankur Patel, an educator and the current outreach director for the Hindu University of America. Melvoin said LAUSD needs a broader response to budget and enrollment pressure, including better communication about existing programs that can attract families.
Melvoin also said the district should keep expanding high-quality options such as dual language immersion and other innovative pathways. He added that LAUSD must use underutilized land more effectively, including for context-appropriate housing such as educator housing, while keeping the budget balanced and transparent.
Patel said he would focus on rebuilding community trust and finding fresh solutions to the district’s problems. He said LAUSD must win back enrollment from private schools, homeschooling and independent charter schools by expanding successful programs, creating new ones and improving instruction.
Patel also said genuine community input is needed to help guide the district through what he described as turbulent times. His message centers on bringing families back to public schools through stronger academic offerings and broader participation in decision-making.
District 6: One candidate on the ballot
District 6 serves the East San Fernando Valley and includes 64 elementary schools, 12 middle schools and 14 high schools. LAUSD data says 54,214 students attended schools in the district during the 2025-26 academic year.
Voters will see only one name in this race: incumbent Kelly Gonez, who was first elected to the board in 2017. She also served as board president in 2020 and 2023, giving her one of the longest records of current board leadership in the election.
Gonez’s campaign says she will keep working to protect schools, expand opportunity for every child and make classrooms places of joy, belonging and safety. Her website says that goal applies regardless of a student’s ZIP code, language or immigration status.
With three board seats on the line, the election will help determine how LAUSD responds to strained finances, shifting enrollment and continued pressure to keep schools stable for students across the district. The results will also shape how the board balances spending, staffing and program offerings in one of the nation’s largest public school systems.
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