Lewis Hall Kicks Off Campaign for Board of Ed Seat

Vowing to work toward making the Beverly Hills Unified School District the best in the country, educator Lewis Hall kicked off his campaign Sunday for a seat on the Board of Education.

“I want the BHUSD to be No. 1 … in the nation. We shouldn’t even compare our schools to [those in] the state when you consider that 36 countries do better than California in math proficiency,” said Hall, one of four candidates for three seats in the Nov. 8 election.

Horace Mann parent and Board Vice President , El Rodeo parent  and Beverly Vista parent are also competing. Traffic and Parking Commissioner Andy Licht of the race last week, although his name .

An instructor at Otis College of Art and Design, Hall said he was motivated to enter the race because of the recent college acceptance experiences of BHHS students.

“My younger daughter graduated from Beverly High in June and got into a school she wanted, but she had a lot of friends who didn’t,” Hall said. “Only three [BHHS seniors] were admitted to Ivy League schools, down 300 percent from a couple years ago. … What I heard from some students was, ‘Beverly High failed me.’ ”

Hall also noted that BHUSD Academic Performance Index scores, which rose last year, need to riser further in order to be competitive with other school districts. No city schools were in the top 100 schools in Los Angeles County in terms of API scores, he said, a situation he described as “unacceptable.”

The candidate moved into Beverly Hills about two years ago from nearby Cheviot Hills. He said this gives him an advantage in the race, particularly at a time when board members have been divisive in recent months. [Board President Lisa Korbatov and member Steven Fenton have clashed with member Myra Lurie over the board’s criticisms of several City Council members.]

“Yes, I am new to the district, but that means I’m unencumbered by past battles that have made it difficult for the board to lead and unite the education community,” Hall said. “I’m convinced that our problems can be handled if we bring a sense of dignity back to the board, keep the focus on our kids, and understand that our role is to set policies and priorities, and support the role of the superintendent and administration to carry out these policies.” 

Mayor Barry Brucker invoked a similar theme when he introduced Hall.

“Lewis is a man of integrity. He is fiercely independent and has a good soul,” said Brucker, who has endorsed the candidate. “He is an educator, and his business background gives him the skills we need to make sure that money is not squandered.”

In addition to teaching at Otis College, Hall works for Elevated Lab Press, a company that offers online lessons in middle school math. The Elevated Math app is available on iTunes.

Outgoing board member Myra Lurie, who spoke after Hall, praised him for being willing to take on “a very difficult job.”

“In the short time I have known him, he has attended every school board meeting and taken a genuine interest in all the issues facing the district,” she said.

For more information about Lewis, go to his campaign website. 

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