Ankur Patel Shares Special Ed Priorities

Ankur Patel, a candidate for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education’s District 4 seat, used a published questionnaire this month to make special education a central issue in his campaign. In responses published May 18, Patel said he supports a proposed resolution to improve special education in LAUSD and argued that services for students with disabilities should be treated as a core district responsibility. The comments put a specific policy area at the center of a race that also includes incumbent Nick Melvoin ahead of the June 2 primary. LAUSD is the nation’s second-largest school system, and District 4 covers much of the Westside. ### What did Patel say about special education? Patel said in the questionnaire that “Special Education is not a side program or an afterthought; it is a core responsibility of our public school system.” He answered yes when asked whether, if elected, he would sponsor and work for passage of the proposed “Improving Special Education Within the LAUSD” resolution. (dailykos.com) The May 18 publication said only Patel had responded so far to six questions sent to every candidate in the June 2, 2026 school board election. Patel wrote that he agreed “with the essence of this resolution” and said he was “actively campaigning on these issues.” ### What experience did Patel point to? Patel said he had worked a long-term assignment in a moderate-to-severe special day class and said that experience shaped his view of what schools need to do for students with disabilities. (dailykos.com) He wrote that the proposed resolution could help move that work at school sites if it is backed by “meaningful support from the District.” Ballotpedia’s candidate profile says Patel is running as a nonpartisan candidate for District 4 and lists prior education work that includes teaching English abroad, serving as a graduate assistant to James Lawson and working as a school and community coordinator for board member Scott Schmerelson after an earlier school board run. ### How did Patel describe the funding problem? Patel said LAUSD needs to “explore all policy avenues” to address special education funding. (dailykos.com) He was responding to a question that said charter schools, on average, enroll a smaller percentage of students with special education needs than district-run schools, while funding is tied to total enrollment rather than the number of students served. (ballotpedia.org) He added that state and federal funding “needs to be adjusted” and said that until enrollment-based funding is implemented, overlapping local education agencies should share the cost of educating all students. The questionnaire framed that as part of a broader debate over how schools with lower-than-average special education enrollment contribute to systemwide costs. (dailykos.com) ### Why is this showing up in the District 4 race now? The May 18 questionnaire said roughly 16% of LAUSD students receive special education services. It also cited a recent survey in which more than half of respondents said they were “not very” or “not at all” confident their child was getting the support needed. (dailykos.com) LAist’s voter guide says District 4 is one of three LAUSD board seats on the June 2 ballot and describes broader pressures on the district, including budget strains and disagreements over charter school co-location and job cuts. In that setting, Patel’s answers gave voters a more detailed view of how he says he would approach one area of district policy. (dailykos.com) ### Who is Patel running against, and when do voters decide? Ballotpedia says Patel and Melvoin are the two candidates in the nonpartisan primary for LAUSD Board District 4 on June 2, 2026. LAist’s voter guide says District 4 represents the Westside, giving the race a defined geographic base that includes voters looking for candidate positions on district operations and student services. (laist.com) Patel’s campaign website lists the special education questionnaire among recent media coverage and identifies him as an LAUSD graduate, public school educator and District 4 candidate. Voters in the race are scheduled to make their choice in the June 2 primary, with the district’s special education debate now part of the public campaign record. (ankurforchange.com) (ballotpedia.org)