Education reformers spent big ahead of California’s June primary, and preliminary results show the millions paid off with all the candidates they supported advancing to November’s general election.

LA Unified school board President Steve Zimmer railed against the tactics used by the California Charter Schools Association in the hotly contested 43rd Assembly District race and compared its spending in that race, at least $1.2 million, to special-interest spending from oil and tobacco industries, which lobby for deregulation.

“This is no longer about choice. This is no longer about kids. It’s certainly not about civil rights,” he said. “It’s about deregulation. It’s about privatization.”

Already, LA Unified has more charters than any other school district in the country, about 230, with more planning to seek approval in the year ahead. The district has become ground zero in the proxy war for resources between charters and teachers unions across California.

The spending by charter school supporters in this race could be a preview of what will happen in March, when three seats on the LA Unified school board will be contested.

EdSource, June 16

LA School Report, June 8