School Boards
Fully funded and equitable public schools are the bedrock of a just, multiracial society and thus our schools have long been center stage in attacks on civil rights and the public good. With roughly 15,000 school districts in the US, the opportunity & necessity to organize behind a common agenda is clear.

Our Vision and Work

School boards represent the community’s voice in public education, providing governance and shared knowledge of the community’s resources and needs. School board members are the policymakers closest to students in our public education system, working to ensure the mental, emotional, and physical safety young people need to thrive in school and beyond. 

As school boards across the country face rising threats and backlash, Local Progress is working to organize school board members around a multi-issue policy agenda and create a community of practice for progressive local leaders

School Board Steering Committee

As a membership organization, we believe our work is most impactful when it is informed and guided by members. Bringing a diverse range of expertise and local experience, our School Board Steering Committee advises and shapes our work in this area:

RAAHEELA AHMED

Former School Board Member
Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD

XILONIN CRUZ-GONZALEZ

Former School Board Member
Azusa Unified School District, CA

ASHLEY ESPOSITO

Baltimore Public Schools, MD

EMILY FIGDOR

Portland Public Schools, ME

JILLY GOKALGANDHI

Milwaukee Public Schools, WI

KELLY KENT

Local Progress Board Member
Culver City Unified School District, CA

JENNIFER MECOZZI

Buffalo Public Schools, NY

A'DORIAN MURRAY-THOMAS

Newark Board of Education, NJ

JASMIN RAMIREZ

Roaring Fork Schools, CO

MEGAN SWEET

Alameda Unified School District, CA

JEN WESTMORELAND

Hopkins Public Schools, MN

CHARLIE WILSON

Worthington Schools, OH

Resources

Blogs And Featured News

School Board Members Are Organizing to Build a Multi-Racial Democracy

More than 40 school board members from 16 states across the country gathered in Baltimore for two days of strategy, peer learning, community building, and leadership development at our first-ever school board convening. Check out the highlights here!

LP School Board Download 📚 | Tackling the educator shortage and resources for safer schools! | April 2023

Welcome to our first-ever School Board Newsletter! Each month, we will share important updates around upcoming events, policy resources, and more!

Meet the LP’s newly-formed School Board Steering Committee!

The steering committee will guide the work of the school board cohort moving forward, bringing a diverse range of experiences and expertise to building our shared agenda.

School Safety & the Senate’s Bipartisan Gun Control Bill

We need meaningful gun control coupled with the things that build truly safe schools – providing physical, psychological, and emotional safety for all students. That means fully funding our public schools to have the teachers, staff, materials and spaces children need.