The five candidates vying for one of two open seats on the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education in the upcoming Nov. 8 General Election participated in two forums this week, one hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and the other by students. At the Chamber’s Oct. 17 forum, Farrah Dodes, Janessa LaVoice, Judy Manouchehri, Rachelle Marcus, and Michal Amir-Salkin answered questions about their platform, strengthening the relationship between students and the local business community, drug abuse and budgeting district funds. On Oct. 18, candidates gathered at the Jon Cherney Lecture Hall at Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) for a student run forum organized by the BHHS Interact Club and Teen Beverly Hills Education Foundation (BHEF) and answered questions related to budgeting priorities, construction delays, academic offerings, accessibility to students, and settling differences of opinion within the community. Marcus, who has taught at the district for over 50 years, is the sole incumbent.
At the Chamber forum moderated by David Mirharooni, Chair of the Government Affairs Committee, Marcus was asked why she chose to run, again. The longtime Beverly Hills resident cited her institutional knowledge, history on the board, and longstanding commitment to students, adding: “During my four years on the board, I studied the issues and I’ve done my homework in order to make wise and thoughtful decisions I will vote against the majority if I personally feel it’s a wise thing to do.”
