In twenty to thirty years, instead of being known as the “Home of Scholars and Champions” Poly will be know as “The School That Use to Be.” Why?
For the past 15 years, Felton Williams has represented District 2 including Poly High School on the Long Beach Unified School District School Board. His predecessor Bobby Smith always made sure that Poly was protected. Unfortunately for Poly, this is not true of Dr. Williams. His leadership has been inept and destructive for Poly and all of District 2.
Two of the five school board seats represent East Long Beach. This area represents the whitest and wealthiest areas of Long Beach. During the last 15 years, instead of taking care of District 2, Felton Williams has been a loyal swing vote for East Long Beach interests.
So what did Felton do for East Long Beach that will prove so destructive for Poly High School? Answer: Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science in East Long Beach. For the next 100 years, Sato’s test score will be the highest in the city of Long Beach. The top-achieving students will no longer attend Poly Pace and CIC (a central Long Beach “ghetto” school). Pace and CIC were created during the 1970s and early 1980s to recruit and retain white students at Poly High School. Instead, they will attend Sato in a “safe neighborhood” of East Long Beach. As white students leave Poly for Sato, the top high school music program in Long Beach will also move from Poly to Sato.
Before Felton Williams, most schools in East Long Beach were great schools. With Felton’s help, they are now all great schools. In contrast, schools in District 2, have been neglected, closed and downgraded. As noted in the lawsuits of 2016 and 2017, Title 1 and high needs student funds have been diverted from schools in poorer neighborhoods and spent on schools in wealthier neighborhoods.
While representing the Westside on the Long Beach City Council, Tonia was a stanch defender of the community she represented. If elected Tonia Reyes Uranga will fight to improve, protect and save all the schools in District 2, including Poly. This is why Felton Williams, the Superintendent, the executive staff and the entire school board want Erik Miller to win. Note that most of the executive staff lives in and around East Long Beach.
It is not an accident that all the best schools are in East Long Beach. This is the result of actions and policies taken by the school board for more than 25 years.
Make a difference, vote for Tonia Reyes Uranga!
At the August 19th school board meeting, both candidates spoke during public comments. The following five-minute clip contains comments by both candidates to the School Board. Which candidate wants to uplift the school district and join the club? Which candidate intends to use this seat to further their political goals elsewhere? Which candidate is willing to push the school district to make positive changes for the betterment of students in District 2?
Play clip and find out!
"YOUR VOTE COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!" - Mary Butler 1975
Mary Butler is the most important person to ever run for school board in Central and West Long Beach. She was also the first African American PTA president at Poly High School in 1970. Felton Willams helped close down her school eight years ago. Vote for Tonia Reyes Uranga for School Board, District 2 “for ALL the Children!” #ToniaLBUSD
An Alternative View of the World 
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