JULIE KORENSTEIN

Biographical Information (En Español)

Julie Korenstein has over thirty-five years of experience as an education advocate and is a member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education. She began working in education in 1968 as a parent volunteer, became a paid teacher assistant in 1970, and continued as a substitute teacher for the LAUSD until launching her tutoring service for at-risk youth. Tutoring in the areas of social studies, remedial reading, English and mathematics, she began to focus in on what has become for her, an educational priority -- dropout prevention strategies.

While working as a teacher during the 1980's at Chatsworth High School, Ms. Korenstein taught a model program, Exploratory Community Service, that provided students with volunteer opportunities in various fields.

Ms. Korenstein was one of the early initiators of service learning. The aim of the program was to help students gain the work experience and insight that would help them make decisions about future careers, technical training, or higher education, as well as the intrinsic value of volunteering. Today high schools, community colleges, and universities are establishing service-learning programs as a part of their ongoing curriculum.

Ms. Korenstein was first elected in 1987 to fill an unexpired term, representing district 4 (West San Fernando Valley) and won the seat again in 1989. In 1993 she won the seat for district 6 (West San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks, and Sunland/Tujunga) and was reelected in 1997. She was reelected in 2001 for district 6 (Arleta, Pacoima, San Fernando, Sunland/Tujunga, Van Nuys and Sylmar) and then reelected for district 6 in 2005. She is the Board's senior member.

Ms. Korenstein is a major proponent of local control and decision-making and helped develop the Shared-Decision Making/School-Based Management proposal. She also believes that it is extremely important to be accessible to her school communities and has worked very closely with her schools to resolve ongoing problems and concerns.

Since 1989, Ms. Korenstein has provided funding for the Kindergarten Intervention Program (KIP), which addresses the needs of at-risk children experiencing academic, social, or emotional problems. This model dropout prevention program targets children in kindergarten and first grade and uses trained volunteers to assist in activities that improve academic performance.

Ms. Korenstein is also in the forefront on school safety issues. In 1989,

Ms. Korenstein established the School Safety and Security Task Force to study how to make LAUSD schools safer for children. Many of the recommendations resulting from this in-depth study were adopted by the Board and are in operation today. In 1999, Ms. Korenstein was also instrumental in helping to bring about a new Integrated Pest Management Policy to phase out the use of dangerous pesticides and herbicides.

Ms. Korenstein currently chairs the School Safety and Campus Environment Committee, which examine matters involving inter-group relations, student affairs, and school safety, including environmental issues.

Ms. Korenstein provides annual funding for a San Fernando Valley Youth Summit, which allows the opportunity for over 700 LAUSD students to participate in a day of dialogue on inter-group relations.

Ms. Korenstein has been very involved in the development of LAUSD’s school construction program. LAUSD is building 155 schools over the next five to ten years. 65 brand new schools have already been built and opened, and thousands of children no longer ride buses and are now attending neighborhood schools.

Ms. Korenstein has been involved in helping to develop the sustainable school, which is an architectural design program that helps schools run more efficiently. LAUSD schools that are being constructed are considered “green schools” where there is better lighting, trees planted to keep the schools cooler, and the rooftops are painted white to reflect the sun. The cost for utilities is less.

Ms. Korenstein developed the District's Food Donation Program, which involves many of our schools and non-profit organizations, and the nationally renowned LAUSD Recycling Program, which has saved the District millions of dollars in landfill costs.

Concerned with the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in school-age children, Ms. Korenstein co-sponsored a policy to ban the sale of sodas in our schools. This policy began in January 2004. The process of regulating the amount of sugar and fat content in students’ diets began on July 1, 2004.

In the 1997-98 school year, Ms. Korenstein was chosen by her colleagues to serve as Board President. During that time, LAUSD began to see an increase in student achievement. Test scores and attendance began to improve. The dropout rates decreased and intervention programs were developed. This marked the beginning of the reform movement.

Ms. Korenstein played an integral role in creating a three-year labor contract with LAUSD unions, resulting in positive employee relations during this time period.

Ms. Korenstein has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at California State University Northridge and has been a member of Senator Jack Scott's Education Advisory Committee. She is on the Community Advisory Board of the Ready for School program. Ms. Korenstein received the Supportive Friends of Mental Health Award in 2004 as well as being named Community Woman of Achievement by the Greater San Fernando Valley Business and Professional Women organization. Ms. Korenstein received the Human Rights award from the Workmen’s Circle, Southern California District, in 2006.

Ms. Korenstein was appointed in 1999 by Governor Gray Davis to serve as a member of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. In this role she was able to expand her educational experience into the community colleges linking K-12 education with higher learning. She helped to develop and initiate a program where high school students can attend community college classes and earn both high school and college credits concurrently. Ms. Korenstein served as a member of the Career Ladders Program Advisory Committee for the Board of Governors. She helped develop a LAUSD high school with CSUN to encourage students to enter the teaching profession. Northridge Academy opened in the Fall, 2004.

Ms. Korenstein attended schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and received her B.A. Degree in history from California State University Northridge in 1971. She received her elementary teaching credential in 1972 and her secondary teaching credential in 1974.

Born in California, Ms. Korenstein has been a resident of the San Fernando Valley for over 35 years. All three of her children graduated from LAUSD schools. Ms. Korenstein is the grandmother of 4, 2 grandsons and 2 granddaughters, one who is attending a District school in the San Fernando Valley.

Julie Korenstein

Board Member, District 6

Los Angeles City Board of Education

333 S. Beaudry Avenue, 24th Floor

Los Angeles, California 90017

E-mail: julie.korenstein@lausd.net

Phone: 213-241-6388

Fax: 213-241-8451                                                                             

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