Mike Lansing Biography

Mike Lansing was first elected to serve Board District Seven of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 1999 and re-elected to a second term in 2003. As a Board Member, Mike is proud to represent the schools and families in the distinguished communities of Carson, Gardena, Harbor City/Harbor Gateway, Lomita, San Pedro, South Los Angeles, Watts, and Wilmington.

During his time in office, Mike has focused on several areas critical to student success, including increasing safety and security, with Resolutions to implement Safe School Zones, increase Campus Aide positions to 8-hours per day, and create additional security positions at secondary schools; improving existing school facilities by investing $1M in a Library Renovation Initiative, $1M in a Playground Upgrade Initiative, and nearly $18M in athletic stadiums, gyms, rubberized tracks, and other major upgrades to Board District Seven high schools; recognizing and celebrating outstanding students, teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, and volunteers through seven annual Star Award banquets, six annual Future Leaders Award banquets, and the on-going Certificate & Resolution program; and promoting joint-use projects and after-school programming at several schools in Board District Seven.

As a Board Member, Mike has championed several policy reforms designed to increase academic performance among students. Among these are the adoption of the Open Court reading program for elementary students, eliminating the 163-day Concept 6 calendar in favor of 180 days of instruction for all students, increasing Library Aide positions from part-time to full-time to promote greater use of school libraries, personalizing counseling services for secondary students through a reduced student-to-counselor ratio, and increasing local control and accountability. As Chair of the Facilities Committee for the past six years, Mike has also advocated for improvements to the District’s large-scale new school construction program, focusing on greater accountability and community engagement.

In 2006-2007, Mike will again Chair the Facilities Committee. He will also serve as a Member of the Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Equity Committee, the School Safety, Student Health and Human Services, and Human Relations Committee, and the Committee of the Whole. Mike will focus on identifying ways in which the Board, Local Districts, and Central offices can support individual school sites in our common mission of educating all students to a high level of achievement and transforming LAUSD into one of the best urban districts in the country.

Mike is a proud graduate of San Pedro High School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from California State University, Long Beach. He received his California Teaching Credentials and Master of Arts in School Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and went on to serve as a Teacher, Coach, and Athletic Director at Holy Trinity Middle School and Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro. At Holy Trinity, Mike also served as an Assistant Principal. In 1988, Mike founded the San Pedro Youth Coalition, a volunteer, non-profit agency that promotes youth development. In 1995, he became the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Harbor Boys & Girls Clubs. In this full-time position, Mike currently serves 7,000 youth per year with comprehensive academic and enrichment programs.