LOS ANGELES (June 12, 2026) – More than 22,000 students living in unincorporated communities within Los Angeles County Supervisorial District 2 represented by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell will receive support under a landmark partnership approved Friday by the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education.
The agreement represents the latest partnership the district has built with local governments and the first with the county to support unincorporated areas. It is the District's 11th education compact since their inception in 2023 with other municipalities serving our students. In addition to the commitment to strengthen collaboration in other areas, this compact addresses two of the most urgent challenges facing students and families living in county-governed areas: homelessness and school safety.
"Homelessness and safety are not school problems or county problems. They are community problems,” said Andrés E. Chait, Los Angeles Unified’s Acting Superintendent. “When we solve these matters together, families and children are the ones who benefit."
“This Education Compact marks the first for any unincorporated community in Los Angeles County and builds on the work we’re currently doing with Los Angeles Unified to ensure our young people are fully supported to thrive. Students cannot reach their full potential if they are experiencing homelessness, navigating unsafe routes to school, or lacking access to critical services and opportunities. By formalizing this partnership, we are strengthening our shared commitment to supporting the whole child and ensuring that families in our unincorporated communities have the resources they need to succeed,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.
The Education Compact covers five neighborhoods within Mitchell's district: Athens, Florence-Firestone, View Park-Windsor Hills, West Carson, and Willowbrook. Those areas host 52 Los Angeles Unified schools and more than half of all District students in the county's unincorporated areas where approximately 40,000 of our students reside.
"It is important that students who live in unincorporated county areas receive the same attention as students who live in the City of Los Angeles and the Southeast Cities," said Los Angeles Unified Board President Scott M. Schmerelson. "This agreement with LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell's office will go a long way to getting our students who are experiencing homelessness the resources they and their families need. More work needs to be done to enhance student safety and security, but LAUSD is ready to partner with any organization to help our students."
“This partnership with Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and Los Angeles County reflects our shared commitment to supporting students and families in unincorporated communities,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Vice President Dr. Rocío Rivas. “Together, we are addressing homelessness, strengthening school safety, and expanding access to resources for the more than 22,000 Los Angeles Unified students who call these communities home.”
“This Education Compact between Los Angeles Unified and Los Angeles County Supervisorial District 2 represents a shared commitment to strengthening services for students and families in our communities,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Member Sherlett Hendy Newbill. “By aligning resources and expanding collaboration, we can work together to address critical areas such as homelessness, student health, family engagement, transportation, and safe passage to and from school. I am proud to support this partnership and grateful to Supervisor Mitchell for joining us in this important work on behalf of our communities.”
“Students do not experience challenges in silos, and our solutions cannot exist in silos either,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Member Nick Melvoin. “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that students and families in unincorporated communities have access to the support they need to be safe, stable, and successful. By working together to address homelessness, strengthen school safety, and better coordinate services, we can help remove barriers to learning and create stronger outcomes for the students and families we serve.”
“As elected officials and public agencies, it is especially important that we collaborate on ways to better serve our shared constituencies,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Member Karla Griegi. “I am looking forward to the outcomes that this new partnership with LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell can bring for our LAUSD students and families."
"This compact reflects our shared commitment to ensuring every student feels safe, supported, and connected to the resources they need to succeed,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Member Kelly Gonez. “By working together across agencies and systems, we can better address the challenges facing students and families in our county and school district.”
“Having worked alongside Supervisor Mitchell and her team, serving Florence-Firestone together, I’m proud to approve this landmark partnership,” said Los Angeles Unified Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin. “I’m eager to build on our momentum in service of our students and families, especially those living and going to school in unincorporated Los Angeles. With this compact, we put a supportive spotlight on serving those who most need and deserve their government to work for them.”
Schools will continue to refer homeless students and their families for county services. Supervisor Mitchell's office addresses the other side of this challenge by strengthening coordination with the County's unsheltered outreach teams to address encampments and recreational vehicles near school communities, while also helping connect the unhoused populations to housing resources and pathways to stable housing.
Another key focus of the Compact is Safe Passage—programs and initiatives designed to help students travel safely to and from school. Both parties will assess schools in unincorporated areas lacking violence prevention programs or youth mentoring to determine what types of support can be provided. Mitchell's office will also examine possible supports including crosswalks, lighting, and signage near campuses.
The Compact will help connect more students to existing no-cost transportation opportunities through expanded promotion of the Metro GoPass program. Both parties will work to increase awareness of the program and encourage greater student participation, helping more students take advantage of free public transit. The district, meanwhile, will explore the feasibility of bringing mobile health clinics and mental health providers directly to select campuses.
When the county-operated MLK Youth Center opens in Willowbrook, the district will aim to connect nearby families with the program by helping to promote those services. Both sides will also encourage youth and family participation in Supervisor Mitchell's public budgeting process, giving families a voice in how county dollars are spent.
This new compact builds on the efforts to date with other municipalities. For example, the compact between the District and the City of Los Angeles includes safety and positive school climate as a key shared priority, and the City has increased investment in these efforts in recent years including in the recently adopted FY 2026-27 city budget. This includes continued support in safe passage, the pilot program through the City of Los Angeles’ Gang Reduction and Intervention Department that provides gang intervention resources and supports students traveling safely to and from school. The pilot program currently operates at Sotomayor High School, Canoga Park High School, Virgil Middle School, and Bernstein High School, demonstrating ongoing collaboration to support students and families.
Similar agreements have led to new traffic safety improvements near schools in Vernon, San Fernando, and Los Angeles. What’s more, through the district's Family Academy program, thousands of families have since connected with libraries, parks, community programs, and social services.
That record is no accident. Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district serving about 390,000 students, has made partnerships with local governments a cornerstone of its service to families since the adoption of its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.
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