LAUSD Chief Urges Support

Home Page Archive, published 6/2/09

As part of his plan to restructure the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Supt. Ramon Cortines said he wants to give schools more autonomy and accountability and “put the emphasis on college and career readiness at the elementary school level.”

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines addresses CCF guests.

Supt. Cortines spoke to about 150 donors and friends of the California Community Foundation (CCF) on June 1, 2009 at the new arts high school, which opens in September. CCF hosted the event to help donors learn about the district’s challenges amid budget cuts and find ways to be more involved.

Expectations and accountability are key to continued improvement, Cortines said, especially early in a child’s formal education. “We need to start setting goals,” he said. “Children need to be reading by 9 years old, unless they are neurologically handicapped.” He also said students must be able to add, subtract and communicate well to succeed.

LAUSD, second only to New York City in number of students served, includes 885 K-12 schools and more than 77,000 employees. After cancelling summer school to save $34 million, the district still has a $97 million deficit for 2008-2009, and additional deficits up to nearly $275 million possible in 2009-2010.

He asked donors to join him in supporting LAUSD. “The quality of life in this city will be measured by how the school system improves,” he said.

CCF supports early childhood learning opportunities, parental engagement and professional development for teachers. The foundation helped fund LAUSD report cards to hold the district accountable to its constituencies, including the students and their parents. “Only in measuring progress will we know we are achieving our goals,” said Antonia Hernández, CCF’s president & CEO, who echoed the need for long-term support of the district..

LAUSD is going through a major restructuring under the leadership of Supt. Cortines to help improve our schools. As a community leader dedicated to excellence in education and opportunities for children, CCF believes in Supt. Cortines' leadership and the importance of supporting long-term as well as short-term needs of the district.

The foundation makes long-term investments in five issue areas to improve the quality of life of Angelenos, with education being one of them. By the current fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, CCF will have made about $2.6 million in competitive grants to improve education in L.A. County. In addition, CCF’s preschool advocacy project, a partnership with the Packard Foundation, made about $460,000 in grants since its inception in 2007 to ensure that children receive quality preschool education and parents are engaged to help them become successful.

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