Los Angeles Unified Announces Nine Education Compacts with Local Municipalities to Strengthen Student and Family Supports (06-05-24)

Los Angeles, CA (June 5, 2024) – Los Angeles Unified is announcing new Education Compacts with local governments with the intent to increase coordination and provide greater resources to students and families. The Education Compacts will align resources and implement innovative programs to equip Los Angeles Unified students with the tools they need to be Ready for the World. The District’s 2022-26 Strategic Plan calls for the establishment of at least 12 Education Compacts by 2026, with Los Angeles Unified poised to meet and surpass the goal ahead of that date.

 

“Los Angeles Unified is uniquely positioned to partner with leaders at all levels of government due to our large footprint spanning 710 square miles across 25 different cities and unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “A special thank you to Mayor Bass and the entire Los Angeles City Council for your support and ongoing commitment to the students and families across Los Angeles. Our community will benefit greatly from these partnerships.”

 

“It is imperative that we act to make our schools safer, which is why Superintendent Carvalho and I are signing this agreement,” Mayor Karen Bass said. “This compact will coordinate increased safety measures, educate on the dangers of substance abuse, support unhoused students and ensure that students and families feel safe and are safe.”

 

The commitments in each of the Education Compacts represent a shared goal of improving educational opportunities and enriching the lives of children and families attending District campuses or living within the respective City. To date, we have established Education Compacts with the cities of Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Maywood, San Fernando, West Hollywood, Vernon and, most recently approved by the Board of Education on June 4, with the City of Los Angeles and City of Carson.

 

Having now established a partnership with Mayor Karen Bass and City of Los Angeles and the other eight cities, the District has strengthened collaboration with cities that represent 87% of our student population. This means that an overwhelming majority of our school communities will now have greater opportunities and resources available to them because of these partnerships. Los Angeles Unified will continue discussions with other local municipalities over the coming year with the goal of strengthening these partnerships across every jurisdiction with Los Angeles Unified school boundaries. 

 

A few examples of the commitments and success of the Education Compacts to date include: the District’s Office of Students, Family and Community Engagement has developed tailored workshops in partnership with the cities of Huntington Park, Maywood and San Fernando; Los Angeles Unified supported the community wellness center to include dental services at the Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy; the City of San Fernando launched a community resource board at City Hall where Los Angeles Unified resources for families are displayed; and cities are strengthening engagement and participation in the District’s Safety Collaboratives, to name a few.

 

In August 2023, Superintendent Carvalho and Board President Jackie Goldberg celebrated the first round of Education Compacts with five Southeast cities of Los Angeles County including Bell, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Vernon and Maywood. As we approach the summer months, Los Angeles Unified staff will re-engage the various cities to discuss current implementation efforts and explore goals to pursue within the existing Compacts for 2024-25. The Education Compacts are intended to be living documents that provide a framework of current priorities, but the District and government partners could pursue other priorities beyond what is delineated in the existing language.

“As Mayor of the great City of Carson, I am so proud of our ongoing partnership with LAUSD. This Education Compact reinforces our shared commitment to help our children thrive while providing the highest quality educational opportunities possible, and we look forward to our continued partnership to achieve that vision.”

 

“I am pleased that we are able to provide more supports and services to our families in Los Angeles Unified through these education compacts,” Board President Jackie Goldberg said. “We should be partnering with the cities where our schools reside and I am encouraged that we are strengthening our ties throughout the Los Angeles metro and beyond.”

 

“We do everything we can to ensure that our students have a safe and enjoyable day while they are at school,” Board Vice President Scott M. Schmerelson said. “Working together with the City of Los Angeles and the City of Carson expands our ability to serve our students even beyond the classroom. Our shared goals will help our students with attendance when we also focus on their housing, traffic safety, physical and mental health among others.”

 

“The Board’s adoption of education compacts with the Cities of Carson and Los Angeles will align resources and expand opportunities for students and families across the District,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said.

 

“Focusing on a range of shared issues like crossing guards and other traffic safety improvements, school facilities and parent and family engagement, compacts with cities like Carson highlight the role of our public schools as the heart of the community,” Board Member Dr. Rocío Rivas said.

 

“Our latest educational compacts with Carson and Los Angeles city will increase our joint capacity to keep kids safe, tackle the housing crisis and provide more resources that directly support our school communities,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said. “I appreciate the collective commitments outlined in these partnerships, and hope to see these joint commitments with Los Angeles expand in the future to explicitly encompass all the ways we support students together, such as our joint community school parks initiative.”

 

“Whether it’s crossing guards, community parks, summer food programs, or a host of other issues, strong partnerships with the cities of Los Angeles Unified are critical for our students and families,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “These education compacts are a step towards deepening those partnerships to better serve our school communities.”

 

“My heartfelt gratitude goes out to our wonderful city in Board District 7 – Carson," Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said. “I am deeply proud of our strong partnership with our local governments. This collaboration truly enriches our efforts as a school district and as a community, enhancing the essential resources we provide to our students and families in Los Angeles Unified. We look forward to strengthening our work together to continue preparing our students to be ready for the college, career, and life of their dreams!”

 

For the most up-to-date information, please follow Los Angeles Unified on Twitter/X at @laschools and @lausdsup, Instagram at @laschools and @lausdsup and Facebook at @laschools and @AlbertoMCarvalho1.

 

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