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Guest Opinion | Patrice Marshall McKenzie: Why You Should Vote For Me

Published on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 | 7:47 am
 

Public education is one of the most foundational institutions of our democracy.  Promoting, protecting and preserving public schools has been at the core of my professional and volunteer service for my entire life. I was raised in Pasadena and educated by Pasadena Unified Schools, attending Burbank and Allendale elementary, Eliot Middle and graduating from John Muir High School. 

I believe one of the essential purposes of public schools is to provide a place to educate and empower our students to become critical thinkers and leaders for the future. My PUSD education provided me with an academic experience that prepared me to enter college intellectually curious. As an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, I was able to nurture my love of learning and critical thinking by taking a broad cross section of courses to complete my degree in African American Studies with a Minor in Critical Pedagogy. The large student population at Berkeley can be intimidating for some students, but I believe learning to navigate the campus community and the associated institution forced me to find my way in the world as a young adult and has made me tremendously resourceful and resilient. I have PUSD to thank for my K-12 foundational learning. 

I entered my professional career working in nonprofit management, before pursuing opportunities in human resources management, special event design and ultimately finding my passion and true calling in public service. I am grateful for my professional journey and having been courageous enough to make big career shifts without feeling the fear of failure or stigma of being indecisive. The lessons I learned and the breadth and depth of my prior work experience prepared me for the broad scope of priorities required to balance serving the complex needs of our communities.

I have more than 15 years of experience working with state and local government leaders including Congresswoman Karen Bass during her time in the California State Legislature and the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Presently, I am Deputy Chief of Staff to LAUSD Board Member (and former PUSD Assistant Superintendent) Dr. George J. McKenna III.  In this role, I craft policy to impact student achievement, make contracting more accessible for small businesses, and increase equity and access for our most marginalized student populations. I manage 5 staff members, direct our community engagement strategy, respond to media and press inquiries, prepare briefing documents for board meetings, and coordinate the collaboration across agencies & organizations. 

The role of school board members is to make governance decisions, set policy that directs the operational duties of the Superintendent and staff, approve budget expenditures and supervise the one person who reports directly to the Board of Education, the Superintendent.  Aside from directly supervising a Superintendent, I am integrally involved in all of those functions now in my role at LAUSD.  My professional experience managing a school board office that is responsible for board governance, policy development and budget and fiduciary management for a $19 billion organization ensures I’d have a very flat learning curve, thus making me effective on day 1 of my Board service.

In addition to my professional expertise, I have an extensive portfolio of service in the Pasadena/Altadena area, as well as the greater Los Angeles region.  My first external volunteer role was through the Junior Docent Program at the Pasadena Museum of History and the following year at the Gamble House. From 1988 until today, I have continued to serve our community through various roles such as:

  • NAACP Pasadena Branch, Women in NAACP Committee
  • Pasadena/Altadena Ivy Foundation Board of Directors. Founding Board Member and Former Vice President.
  • LA African American Women’s Public Policy Institute. Board President since 2016.
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated-Pasadena Chapter. Past President, Past Nominating Chairman, Current Civic Engagement/Social Action Chairman. I have 25 years of service since initiation in college and have attained Life Member status.
  • Junior League of Pasadena. Past Finance Director and currently serving on the Membership Committee.
  • Co-Chairman, Organizational Development and Charter Committee, LA County Democratic Party.  This committee approves the charters of new Democratic Clubs and provides training for Club leaders.
  • 2021 – City of Pasadena Redistricting Task Force (At-Large Mayoral Appointee)
  • 5 Cycles (primary & general election) as an Election Worker – LA County Registrar/County Clerk

Additionally, I have been involved in a number of projects to advance public education before making the decision to seek an elected position on the PUSD Board of Education.  A snapshot of those experiences include:

  • 2022 – Facilitator of the Black Student Success Task Force in collaboration with PUSD and the African American Parent Council (AAPC). The work product resulted in policy changes to disciplinary guidelines that significantly reduce the scenarios and infractions in which TK-5 students can be suspended from school in an effort to address disproportionate impacts on Black students. 
  • 2022 – Co-wrote the syllabus for LAUSD’s African American Studies course that was approved by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) to fulfill the US History requirement within the A-G Course program.
  • 2020 – Co-Chairman of the Yes on Measure O Bond Campaign that voters approved to bring $516 million to PUSD for facilities improvement, technology upgrades, STEM and STEAM instruction and the creation of new maker spaces and labs on campuses. 
  • 2016-2017 – California School Boards Association Charter School Task Force member and contributing author. The end result of the task force work product was the 2018 publication of the report: “Uncharted Waters:  Recommendations for Prioritizing Student Achievement and Effective Governance in California’s Charter Schools.” The report was issued as a roadmap for school districts on how to address quality expectations, equitable access, governance and transparency and elevating and replicating what works in public education. Many of the recommendations on accountability and transparency were signed into law in 2019 when Governor Newson enacted SB 126.

My priorities if elected are:

  1. Increasing student achievement through a cradle to career vision that includes growing enrollment via Universal preschool for all District[1] [2]  children, and expanding dual enrollment to include career preparation pathways;
  2. Improve campus and facilities infrastructure through the strategic investment of Measure O funds (I co-chaired the Yes on Measure O bond campaign in 2020) and advocate for housing affordability for families and employees; and
  3. Strengthen our school community through cross-functional advocacy at the local, state and federal level, promote meaningful parent engagement and expand community partnerships to better serve our students.

My relationships in our community allow me to convene broad stakeholder groups for the support of PUSD in and out of the classroom and across the District. My state legislative staff experience keeps me well connected in Sacramento and across the region. My finger is on the pulse of policy and legislative best practices. I have excelled in developing, growing and nurturing strategic partnerships and collaborations that advance issues and causes for all parties.

As a PUSD Alumna and longtime Pasadena resident, I have focused my volunteer and community involvement around the three pillars that I believe build strong communities: stability, service, and safety. Schools should uphold those same three pillars in our communities. Much of my career has been in my being a convener of people and working in collaboration across agencies, government, organizations, and community stakeholders to accomplish goals and advance common agendas. I want to bring that same sense of collaboration, partnership, and leadership to the Board of Education so we can accelerate our shared goals of providing the highest quality education to all students in Pasadena Unified.

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