Parent forum

I met recently with more than a dozen parents -- all but one were moms, truth be told -- who come from all over L.A. and who are determined to send their kids to public schools.

One of them was Kelly Kane, who got involved with schools in Westchester before her kids were old enough to enroll. She is now part of the L.A. Parents Union, a parents group founded by Green Dot's Steve Barr, and she told me about a forum coming up Feb. 23.

The Westside Parents Forum agenda includes a talk by Marlene Cantor, a past president of the L.A. school board, writer and schools activist Sandra Tsing Loh (who also has blogged for The Times about magnet schools), and information about grants, leadership. It's open to everyone, and will be held at Loyola Marymount University.

Interested? Email kkane@parentsunion.org.

-- Mary MacVean