Steve Zimmer represents Venice High on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. He was elected to the board in 2009 and has been president for about two years, and was up for re-election in the March 7 primary election.

Zimmer got the most votes in this first election, but he did not get more than 50 percent of the votes. Now Zimmer and his opponent Nick Melvoin will be on the ballet in the next election on May 17.

According to edsource.org, Melvoin is seen to appeal to pro-charter voters. The Los Angeles teachers union, on the other hand, supported Zimmer.

Zimmer and Melvoin are similar in many ways. Both are Jewish, Democrats, college educated, and have taught in public school, according to an article by Michael Janofsky on edsource.org.

Melvoin believes in “charter-like flexibility,” and wants to eliminate district authority, according to the article.

Zimmer says public education should be supported because it educates every child, unlike charter schools. He is supported by United Teachers Los Angeles, and his campaign, even though smaller compared to his competitor, is mostly paid for by this union.

Zimmer is “an advocate for children, and that “teachers seem to like him because he can do the school some good,” said junior Nancy Lopez.

Criticism about Zimmer is being put out to the public to limit his chance of being re-elected. According to a political mailer funded by Richard Riordan, “under Steve Zimmer’s watch, LAUSD is facing a 1.4 billion budget deficit in part because off the ill-fated iPad scandal.”

Ex-superintendent John Deasy instituted the iPad program, and the program was set to improve the use of technology and the Internet in all LAUSD schools.

Riordan, a Republican politician, according to the Los Angeles Times, gave $1 million to an independent campaign to win the election over Zimmer.

Melvoin is backed up by millionaires who support charter schools, just like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. DeVos believes that charter schools are better than public, and has private investments in the industry of for-profit schools.