CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shannon Haber, 213-393-1289 June 15, 2021
[email protected]
Statement by Superintendent Austin Beutner
On Proposed Budget for the 2021-2022 School Year
LOS ANGELES (June 15, 2021) – Los Angeles Unified has led efforts at the state and national level to create a “Marshall Plan” for schools which has resulted in a record amount of funding to help students on the path to recovery. From crisis comes the opportunity to do what was previously unimaginable. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make things meaningfully better for the children we serve.
In the coming school year, schools will spend more than $24,000 per student, up from less than $17,000 three years ago. The additional funding will be used to provide more direct services to students. This is a momentous step which will result in the largest increase in the number of teachers, counselors and custodians in schools in more than a generation.
We are providing highest-needs schools with more resources to support students on their path to recovery. A record $700 million of flexible funding is being provided to schools based solely on the needs of students.
- $80 million will be invested to add reading and math teachers in elementary schools to help students build a foundation in literacy and math.
- $151 million will triple the number of mental health counselors working with students at schools.
- $166 million will enable elementary and secondary schools to add teachers and reduce class sizes to allow for more individualized instruction.
- $91 million will increase custodial staff to keep schools clean and safe.
In addition, the spending on the safety measures in schools will continue during the summer and into the new school year. And all students have the opportunity to participate in summer school.
I want to add a note of caution to the conversation. Almost all of the money provided to schools is used to pay people who work directly with students. While it’s great that schools will have adequate funding for the first time in a generation, money alone won’t solve the problem. It’s how the money is used, the people who are hired and how they are trained that will make the difference.
All of the dollars will be provided to schools based on need – elementary students who need help in reading will receive it, secondary school students will get more individualized instruction with greater funding provided to high-needs schools, all students will have more access to mental health resources and over and above this, additional support will be provided to schools in communities hardest hit by the crisis. Students with differences and disabilities will receive the individualized support they need. And all school campuses will be kept clean and safe.
This proposed budget is ambitious but necessary. The pandemic has had an impact on all of students and families we serve, in particular among families who were struggling to get by before this crisis