AALA PAC unanimously endorses Dr. George J. McKenna III for the seat on the LAUSD Board of Education representing District 1, a position that became available due to the untimely death of veteran educator Marguerite P. LaMotte in December. AALA endorses only those candidates who have articulated a vision for the District that encompasses what is best for children, recognizes the need for strong site leadership, is knowledgeable about the District and promotes an agenda that supports school site and central office administrators.
George McKenna is a veteran educator, having spent his entire professional career (over 50 years) working with public schools in Southern California. The oldest of three boys born to a college professor and elementary principal, George developed his strength and tenacity in the segregated streets of New Orleans. He came to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and began teaching at Gardena High School, then moving to Jordan, Dorsey and Washington Prep.
George, who has consistently espoused a passion for civil and human rights activism, is uniquely qualified to represent District 1 as it stretches from Windsor Hills to the southwest, Cheviot Hills to the northwest, Hancock Park to the north, University Park to the northeast and parts of Gardena to the southeast. His years of service in education have included all of these areas, plus Compton, Inglewood and Pasadena. He is recognized nationally and internationally, not only for his well-documented role as principal of Washington Preparatory High School, but also for his eloquent speeches, his timely guidance in professional development, his proven budget acuity and his ongoing empathy and advocacy for all students.
The widely divergent landscape that encompasses District 1, with its full spectrum of ethnic, linguistic and socioeconomic characteristics deserves to be represented by someone who has actually held key positions in public school districts, someone who knows the intricacies of the politics and machinations of school boards, someone not looking to advance his own political career, and above all else, someone who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to students and public education.