After a turbulent three-day strike that put significant heat on the Los Angeles Unified School District and postponed a School Board meeting, board members were glad to resume meeting this week and vote on some welcome good news: a $92.3 million investment to improve campuses.
This money comes from school bonds and will be allocated toward several district priorities including making campuses more accessible to students with disabilities, improving water quality and building more outdoor learning spaces.
The board also authorized spending $26.4 million in grant awards from the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Efficiency Ventilation Program on air quality improvements for 163 campuses during the March 27 meeting. This money will be used for the assessment and maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as carbon monoxide monitoring.
“With these upgrades we will close equity gaps in order to prepare students to be ready for the world,” said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, referring to the collective investments.
The biggest chunk of change, $49.6 million, will go toward accessibility improvements at five high-need schools, so that students in wheelchairs and with other disabilities can navigate their campuses with ease.
These are Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School in Hollywood, Broad Avenue Elementary School in Wilmington, Daniel Webster Middle School in West LA, 95th Street Elementary School in South LA and Pinewood Avenue Elementary School in Tujunga.
Another $33 million will go towards clean drinking water as part of the district’s commitment to reduce and maintain the level of lead in all drinking water below 5 parts per billion.
LAUSD began efforts to address lead contamination on campuses in 1988, but the problem has continued to plague the district as recently as 2018 when lead levels above the limit were found in 29 school sites and district facilities.
Since 2008, the district has spent over $45 million…
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