Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LAUSD Plans To Apply For State Funding To Reopen Schools To Show ‘Good Faith’
A sign at Thomas Starr King Middle School, an L.A. Unified campus in Silver Lake, flashes public health messages during the COVID-19 crisis on April 1, 2020. (Kyle Stokes/LAist)
()
Despite a litany of objections to a state plan for reopening schools, the Los Angeles Unified School District will submit a safety proposal in time to meet a Feb. 1 application deadline to receive millions in state grant money, the district announced in a statement today.
If the district were to miss the Feb. 1 deadline, LAUSD would miss out on $70 million in grant money from the state. The district could stand to lose another $205 million if a plan still isn’t submitted by March 1.
“We intend to send a draft application to Sacramento as a good-faith effort to demonstrate our commitment to reopen schools as soon as possible and in the safest way possible,” LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a statement.
Nevertheless, Beutner wants to make it clear that he’s not happy with the funding stipulations set by the state.
Support for LAist comes from
The Safe Schools For All plan, released by Gov. Gavin Newsom in late December, encourages districts to reopen for in-person instruction, once COVID-19 cases are low enough. If districts draft a safety plan with the support of labor unions, county and state health departments, they can be eligible for $450 per student once campuses reopen.
“It’s important that all in our school community understand schools in Los Angeles Unified are prepared to begin in-person instruction as soon as health conditions allow and they also understand how flawed the state’s approach has been in establishing this process,” Beutner said in the statement.
Superintendents of California’s seven biggest school districts, including Beutner, believe that plan is inequitable. In a letter sent to Newsom earlier this month, they argue that high COVID caseloads in metropolitan regions, such as L.A., would prevent their schools from reopening anytime soon. That would leave large districts to continue distance learning, while smaller, more affluent districts can reopen and receive extra state money.
The application requires school districts to submit both a safety plan and a ratified agreement with labor unions by Feb. 1 to be eligible for the funding. Beutner said the plan has long been ready, but it’s unlikely LAUSD will reach an agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles in time to meet the deadline.
“It is not reasonable to assume we can reach an agreement [with UTLA] based on a state health standard that is still being reviewed by the legislature and is not well explained or fully understood by many,” Beutner explained in the statement.
Beutner told KPCC’s Airtalk with Larry Mantle on Monday that LAUSD and UTLA are still bargaining over a general reopening plan. This week, they plan to consult with health experts to determine if the state’s COVID-19 case threshold for reopening should apply in Los Angeles.
In a press conference last week, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz confirmed that the union is continuing to bargain with LAUSD over the reopening plan, but intends to release an agreement over small-group specialized instruction first.
Support for LAist comes from
UTLA did not respond to a request for comment on Beutner’s plan to submit a draft application to the state.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist