Ahead of the June primary election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
Name: Nick Melvoin
Current job title: LAUSD Board Member
Age: 41
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: Vice President of the LAUSD Board
City where you reside: Los Angeles
Campaign website or social media: nickmelvoin.com
How should LAUSD address declining enrollment and long-term budget challenges while protecting student programs and classroom instruction? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
LAUSD must take a comprehensive approach to declining enrollment and long-term budget challenges while protecting classroom instruction. We should do a better job communicating the strong programs already available to attract families to their local schools, while continuing to invest in and expand high-quality, in-demand programs like dual language immersion and other innovative pathways.
At the same time, we have to be honest about the realities driving enrollment decline — fewer children are being born and many families are being priced out of Los Angeles. We can’t bring in students who don’t exist through marketing alone. That means the district must also be a responsible steward of its resources by using underutilized land more effectively, including building context-appropriate housing such as educator housing and ensuring our budget remains balanced and transparent.
We also need to align our footprint with reality. That includes concentrating programs where appropriate so resources are not spread too thin, and recognizing that we waited too long to pursue school consolidation, which must now be part of the district’s fiscal stabilization plan.
What steps would you take to improve academic performance and reduce achievement gaps across the district? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Two things are true in L.A. Unified today: Scores are higher than they have ever been, and we still have a long way to go to ensure every student receives a high-quality, comprehensive education. During my time in office, we have supported struggling schools and invested in rigorous instruction for all students, contributing to the highest reading, math and science scores in district history. We’ve also expanded access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, with more students enrolling and earning qualifying scores.
Just as important, we’ve focused on earlier and more targeted supports to close achievement gaps. That includes expanding preschool and Universal TK, strengthening early literacy and intervention and investing in high-dosage tutoring, summer school and academic recovery programs to meet students where they are.
Scores are improving because we are working to ensure that every student — not just those in the wealthiest ZIP codes — has access to a quality education. Going forward, we must continue scaling what works, using data to target resources and ensuring strong teaching and support in every classroom.
How would you address teacher hiring and retention while ensuring strong outcomes for students? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I believe this starts with modernizing our benefit structures for new staff, to reflect what younger people prioritize as incentives — including a higher starting salary rather than more benefits for seniority. We also need more support and targeted training and professional development opportunities for new and struggling teachers, and to incentivize stability rather than promoting people out of school-site positions.
Given the skyrocketing cost of living and housing unaffordability, I also continue to advocate for more workforce housing to be built on the district’s unutilized land. We have built three of these complexes, for a total of 185 units, and currently have four RFPs out to build more.
How will you help young students who struggle with reading? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
First, I will push for continued expansion of early education opportunities through universal TK, early education centers and state preschool programs to eliminate gaps in reading readiness that emerge even before kindergarten.
Once students enter elementary school, LA Unified is increasingly well situated to ensure reading success. The district has adopted reading curricula that are culturally relevant and aligned to the science of reading for all students. Standards-based assessments, including the new reading difficulties screener that helps identify students at risk for dyslexia, help teachers zero in on skills gaps. With that data, the district must also expand available resources to push in targeted support, like high-dosage tutoring and Structured Literacy strategies to intervene early.
For students who continue to struggle in upper elementary or beyond, the district is and should continue to target additional intervention resources and personnel.
What role should the board play in overseeing the superintendent and ensuring accountability for district performance? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
The board is ultimately accountable for the performance of the superintendent, which is measured through district performance on goals for student outcomes set by the board.
After a long period in which the strategy for measuring that success was opaque, I pushed hard to ensure that the superintendent’s strategies for achieving board-defined goals would be guided by a comprehensive, public strategic plan. Since 2022, the board has been able to actively monitor and review updates on progress toward the superintendent’s strategic plan.
Currently, the district is engaging in a process to update the broader goals and generate a new strategic plan.
Acknowledging that there is uncertainty regarding the future of the current superintendent, the board continues to lay the groundwork for the upcoming strategic plan. During this time of transition between strategic plans and uncertainty about district leadership, the board remains accountable to the public, and my top priority is ensuring stability and continued operation so schools can continue the work towards improved student outcomes.