The Lennox Teachers Association hosted a Lennox School Board Candidate Forum via Zoom on the evening of Thursday, October 1, 2020, which was a huge success. All candidate information was gathered from the Los Angeles County Register’s Office. Of the 7 candidates running for School Board, 4 reached out to LTA and were invited to participate in the Forum, which were Dr. Angela Fajardo, Christian Lucas, Marisol Cruz, and Karina Cordero. All participating candidates did a great job answering teachers’ questions about their beliefs and priorities, and the voters of the Lennox community had a chance to get to know the candidates who aspire to represent them on the Lennox School District Board of Education.
After the Forum, the LTA Executive Board and Representative Council met to consider giving the union’s endorsement to the candidates who had reached out. The LTA Rep Council voted on October 1, 2020, unanimously, to endorse 1 candidate, a newcomer who really distinguished herself during the forum. Karina Cordero impressed the teachers. She is a product of the Lennox School District and represents her community as a hard working mother of three. She is well educated and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, which demonstrates her knowledge of budget and business, qualities which are much needed in the district’s current financial situation. She has taken on leadership roles and has been very actively involved in the School Site Council at Huerta Elementary School. These roles have provided her with extensive understanding of school site budgets, interpreting data and identifying needs of all stakeholders and the many facets of the LCAP. She is well aware of the challenges both educators and parents are currently undergoing and is supportive of teachers and the need for smaller class sizes. She is vested in fulfilling the needs of students with disabilities, as well as general education students. She has three children in our District and is committed to the achievement of all students. Her demeanor throughout the interview was honest, calm, confident, and competent. Given the current COVID-19 challenges, LTA Rep Council voted to endorse and to provide monetary funds to help her campaign. We believe she will make an excellent addition to the Lennox School District Board of Education, allowing the Board, the district, teachers, and parents to continue the hard work of making Lennox the best place possible for our students to learn, grow and thrive. Congratulations, Ms. Cordero!