Schmerelson’s Campaign Rep Calls Opponent Marilyn Koziatek a 'Dumb Blond,' a Pattern of Sexism from Board Member Schmerelson That Damages Girls Like My Daughter

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By Kim Silverstein

As the mother of a daughter in middle school, I know first-hand that the messages our girls receive from education leaders make a critical difference in their lives. Those messages can either build up or tear down their confidence, signaling to them what place girls and women hold in our society. It’s one reason we chose a single-sex STEM school, LAUSD’s Dr. Michelle King’s Girls Academic Leadership Academy, for our daughter -- to empower her and shield her from the harmful messages about gender roles that society still sends to women in 2020.

So imagine my dismay to see that Scott Schmerelson, a current member of the Board of Education who is up for reelection in the San Fernando Valley on Nov. 3, and his campaign representatives, have been sending appallingly sexist and retrograde messages to girls like my daughter and women leaders everywhere.

Last week, a campaign representative for Schmerelson, someone who appeared in one of his recent online campaign ads, posted a message on Schmerelson’s Facebook page calling his opponent in the race a “dumb blond.” Schmerelson has allowed the message to remain posted publicly on his page for more than a week.

A dumb blond? Really? Let’s put aside Marilyn Koziatek’s obvious qualifications as someone with a business degree from USC, the chair of the Education Committee for the Valley Industry Commerce Association and a member of the 38th Assembly Education Advisory Committee. Not to mention the fact that she’s on the leadership team of one of the most successful high schools in the state of California and the only candidate in the race who currently works at a school during this pandemic.

Let’s also put aside the fact that Schmerelson told the Los Angeles Daily News that he needed “tutoring” to understand the LAUSD budget, and after he was fined for failing to properly disclose his personal financial investments in Big Oil and Big Tobacco companies, he claimed ignorance of his own stock portfolio.

What upsets me the most is that Marilyn Koziatek is a mom like me, and if she is elected, she would be the only parent on the board with kids in LAUSD schools. So calling Marilyn a “dumb blond” is demeaning to all women and a bit like telling her to go back to the kitchen where she belongs.

Schmerelson’s Facebook page sends the harmful message to girls like my daughter that they have no place running for office, and if they do they will be bullied, attacked and verbally abused in an offensive Trump-like fashion with petty, demeaning, and sexist name calling.  

We saw this happen to Hillary Clinton when she ran for president, and now we see Schmerelson’s campaign use the same tactic against Marilyn Koziatek. His campaign manager even told EdSource that she had no business running for school board? Why is that? Is this a boy’s club, where only men need apply? 

Sadly, this is not the first time that Schmerelson has displayed this type of sexism and cluelessness when it comes to issues of gender equity.  During a school board discussion about gender discrimination in dress code enforcement, Schmerelson said, “I think that males are discriminated just as much as females.”

When asked to explain those remarks at a recent candidate forum, he reiterated his insistence that such gender discrimination at schools does not exist. “That just didn’t happen,” he said.  

These examples show how completely out of touch Schmerelson is, and how detached he is from the reality our girls face in school on a daily basis, let alone what adult women face in their careers and personal lives. Men in power across the country are finally being held accountable for this type of behavior. It’s time for voters to send Schmerelson back home and put a qualified woman on the school board in District 3. Reject offensive gender politics and vote for Marilyn Koziatek on Nov. 3. 

-- Kim Silverstein is a member of Speak UP’s Parent Leadership Advisory Network and has two children who attend LAUSD schools. She has previously worked in public education and continues to be a fierce advocate for equity and racial justice in our schools. 

NOTE: Schmerelson’s campaign rep edited the offensive comment after this article appeared. The screenshot in this article captures the original unedited comment, which remained on Schmerelson’s Facebook page for more than a week until this article was published.