Tanya is proud to represent the district where she was a student, teacher, teacher educator and advocate before beginning her board tenure in December 2020. In June 2021, Tanya and her colleagues adopted four goals and in February 2022 hired Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, a successful Superintendent who is building a strategic plan during his first 100 days. Through her personal and professional experience, by listening to constituents during and since her campaign, and in partnership with families, students, school staff and community partners today, she and the Board District 7 team are proud to advance the following priorities.

College, Career & Life Preparation

Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin believes deeply that every LA Unified student should be fully prepared to thrive in college, career and life. This vision requires our public education system at all levels to set student-centered academic and social-emotional goals, implement strategic plans to collectively work towards those goals, and reflect on and adjust practice to ensure success. 

Tanya authored and co-authored several resolutions to move our district in this direction: “Exploring Mastery-Based Learning and Grading;” “Got a Plan for That? Removing Barriers to College and Career Success;” and “Accelerating College Access, Awareness, and Attainment through Dual Enrollment.” These policies systemically support the hard work of school sites and district staff to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of each student. The BD7 team also hosts an annual College Signing Day and an Arts Showcase demonstrating students’ perspectives of thriving in college, career and life. 

Educational & Racial Justice

In order to truly prepare all students for college, career and life, Tanya knows that we cannot continue to perpetuate historical inequities by maintaining the status quo. To achieve educational justice, which includes racial justice, we must meet the unique needs of each student and each school community.

This is why in August 2021 Tanya authored the “Accelerating Achievement through Equity in Action” resolution, calling for all items coming before the board to be presented with a detailed analysis on how well the recommended action addresses historical inequities, prioritizes resources based on meeting unique student needs, and is likely to result in closed opportunity and achievement gaps for students. 

She also authored the unanimously passed “Closing the Digital Divide to Improve Distance & Hybrid Learning” and “Black Student Excellence through Educator Diversity, Preparation and Retention” resolutions, recognizing the intentional efforts the district can and must make to provide all students access to high-quality learning at school and at home. Tanya’s leadership will continue to center the communities that have historically been pushed to the margins so that we can actually achieve educational and racial justice in Los Angeles. 

Equitable & Fair Funding

Our budget is a reflection of our values. With an unprecedented nearly $20 billion to support approximately a half-million students, we are in a unique position to revolutionize the way we fund nearly 1000 schools in the second-largest school district in the country.

Equitable funding requires the District to intentionally distribute additional funding to our high and highest-need schools to address historic funding inequities. Before becoming a board member, Tanya led dozens of workshops with stakeholders to inform the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and was proud to stand with the community in 2018 advocating for additional funds and including community conditions in the revised Student Equity Needs Index (SENI). 

As a board member, she was privileged to co-sponsor the community-led resolution, “Equity is Justice 2021: A New Standard for Public Education Centered on Racial Justice” increasing the number of dollars distributed based on student need to $700 million and is currently advocating for SB-830 Education finance: Supplemental Education Funding to supplement statewide attendance-based funding with additional resources for enrollment-based funding, which could bring an additional $200 million to LA Unified. 

Family & Community Engagement

Public service at its core is about amplifying the voices of the community and making progress for the good of its people. The BD7 team conducts monthly listening sessions and community conversations on policy issues with families, students, school staff and community partners. We host four Advisory Councils: one each for families, students, educators and school leaders. We meet regularly with labor partners, attend community events, and communicate widely in monthly newsletters and social media. 

Tanya visits schools weekly to stay closest to the students, staff and families most impacted by school district policy and is particularly committed to grounding her decisions in their impact on high- and highest-need schools. If you are interested in joining an advisory council or meeting with Tanya, please contact Board District 7 by email (bd7@lausd.net), phone (213-241-6385) and social media (@lausdbd7).