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
Case Studies
Embedding Equity Into the Student Experience in Culver City Public Schools, CA
Blogs And Featured News
- News Article ▹ June 27, 2023
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!
- School Boards
- ▹ April 20, 2023
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!
- School Boards
- ▹ February 23, 2023
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.
- Public Safety, School Boards
- ▹ June 23, 2022
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.
