Superintendent Austin Beutner’s Remarks To Town Hall
With Citywide Faith Leaders To Prepare for the Reopening of Schools
As Prepared for Delivery on March 21
Thank you Pastor Boyd for the kind introduction, and thank you to all in the faith community and Faith leaders who are with us for today’s Town Hall. We have eight sponsors for today’s event including
- First AME with Pastor Boyd and Mr. David Price serving as moderators
- Brookins-Kirkland AME with Pastor Mary Minor serving as a moderator.
- Ward AME (Pastor John Cager who is unable to participate)
- West Angeles Church of God in Christ, with Dr. Oscar Owens and Mr. John Wilson serving as moderators
- City of Refuge with Youth Pastor Brandon Towns serving as a moderator
- Temple Beth Hillel with Rabbi Sarah Hronsky serving as a moderator
- Second Baptist Church (Pastor William Epps who is unable to participate), and the
- Faith Community Coalition
March 13th marked one year since school campuses closed due to COVID-19. It’s been an extraordinary year – a time of sacrifice and determination, pain and suffering, mixed with moments of hope and optimism – sometimes all in the same day.
I’m pleased to share we’ll start reopening schools the week of April 12th for preschool and elementary school students, as well as for students with learning differences and disabilities, and by the end of the month for middle and high school students. Elementary school students will have the option for a full day at school, 5 days a week.
We know the best learning for most students happens in a school classroom and children may face a lifetime of consequences if they are not back in a school classroom sometime soon. This is an urgent challenge for all of us to address, not just those who work in schools.
Schools in Los Angeles Unified have in place the highest standards of COVID safety in the nation. A team of scientists and researchers from UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Cedar Sinai, Anthem Blue Cross and Health Net have been advising us on the appropriate steps since last summer. We’ve upgraded the air-filtration systems so the air in every classroom is filtered 24 hours a day through the equivalent of an N-95 mask, we have doubled the custodial staff to clean every room top to bottom and we’ll provide weekly COVID testing at school for every student and safety member. We are also working to make the COVID vaccine available at schools free of charge to families in the school community. Our first one will open at Washington Prep High School on April 5th and we hope to see you there.
The path to recovery has started and we’re investing an additional $1.8 billion in our schools to help all students reach their full potential.
The investment will not only keep schools clean and safe, we’ll be adding additional teachers and counselors, more tutoring and small group instruction, the latest technology and more support for students with special needs.
For our youngest learners, we started last August with the Primary Promise, adding additional reading and math teachers in the classroom to ensure elementary school students build a foundation in literacy, math and critical-thinking skills. Results from the first semester were astounding. Already, more than 25% of students who participated in 30 minutes a day of additional small-group reading instruction advanced from being non-readers to reading above grade level after only 10 weeks. And all students in the program are making great progress.
But this is one topic that can’t be measured in dollars and cents; it’s about creating opportunity for children. A good education is the path out of poverty for many students and the promise of a better future for all of them.
But we can’t do it alone and I need your help to make sure every child gets the education they deserve. We want all children back in schools where they belong.
We have prepared a Return to Campus Family Guide which contains detailed information on the health and safety preparations at schools, COVID testing for students and staff, COVID safety protocols and instructional schedules. Copies of the Guide are available in multiple languages and at any school, and a hard copy was mailed to families. Every school principal is holding meetings to review these plans, and more than 40 community town halls, like this one, have been held across the Los Angeles area to answer questions.
We want to ensure you have the information needed to determine if your child will be best served by continuing with online instruction or a return to the classroom with their teacher and friends. I want you to know we will do all we can to keep your children safe when they return to school.
The reopening of schools is just one step in the long path to recovery which lies ahead in the months and years to come. Schools have been a safety net for families throughout the crisis – providing 116 million meals, 26 million items of much needed supplies and more than a half-million free COVID tests at schools to students, staff and their families. You have my continuing commitment to do all we can to keep students learning, provide support for working families and protect the health and safety of all in the school community.
I am grateful to this amazing group of faith leaders for their collaboration today. We recognize the decision whether a child will return to school at this time is not a simple one. We appreciate the opportunity to answer questions and hope efforts like this town hall will help you make an informed decision.
Thanks for listening and I look forward to seeing you at school in just a few week’s time.