April 2, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

LAUSD Kicks Off New School Year with Safety Improvements and Rising Academic Achievements

Mayor Bass Announces Installation of Increased Safety Measures Near Schools 

Monday, August 12, is the first day of the fall semester of the 2024-2025 school year in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Superintendent of School Alberto Carvalho touted the district’s plans for the new school year and rising attendance, test scores, and graduation rates during his back-to-school address at Walt Disney Hall last week.

Of note are the new safety improvements around schools that Mayor Karen Bass announced last week. Many parents have been concerned about reckless drivers near schools after recent tragic deaths, so the improvements are good news.

“The City moved urgently to install hundreds of safety provisions near schools ahead of this new school year,” said Mayor Bass. “In partnership with the City Council and Los Angeles Unified School District, we took action to make streets safer near schools, and we will continue to do more to promote student safety.”

The Department of Transportation and other city departments have completed the installation of projects and actions to make areas around schools safer ahead of this school year, including:

  • Implementing street safety projects in the form of “quick build” street improvements at more than 180 intersections at more than 40 schools
  • Installing more than 250 speed humps near 92 schools where speeding is a known issue 
  • Establishing School Slow Zones with reduced 15 mph speed limits on more than 450 street segments adjoining 190 schools.
  • By expediting the hiring of crossing guards, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) will deploy more than 500 crossing guards for the coming school year, continuing the widest deployment in over a decade.

Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said, “In recent years, Los Angeles Unified students and families have become victims of senseless vehicular traffic incidents while walking to and from school,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “As we welcome back our students, staff, and families to the 2024-25 school year, our Board of Education members and I are grateful for the steps Mayor Bass and the City Council have taken to address these safety issues with urgency. Los Angeles Unified looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all our governmental partners to safeguard the wellbeing of our students and school community.”

LADOT General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo stated, “The hundreds of safety treatments LADOT installed over the last year, and the record number of crossing guards hired, represent the most significant investment our City has ever made to prevent dangerous driving behavior near schools.”

According to the Superintendent’s press release, these are LAUSD’s achievements from last year: LAUSD implemented several programs and initiatives aimed at breaking down barriers within the school community. Key achievements included:

  • Labor Agreements: LAUSD reached agreements with labor partners, resulting in historic compensation increases and maintaining health and welfare benefits for employees, their families, and retirees through 2025, all without workforce reductions.
  • Financial Stability: For the second consecutive year, the district earned top ratings from credit agencies, reflecting strong fiscal controls and prudent financial decisions that enabled historic pay and benefits while maintaining financial stability.
  • Academic Improvements: Preliminary data indicated an increase in 2023-24 Smarter Balanced Assessment scores across the board in English Language Arts and Math. Every grade level and almost every student demographic showed improvement, with Priority Schools seeing larger gains than non-priority Schools.
  • Attendance Efforts: Through the iAttend initiative, LAUSD made over 34,000 home visits to address absenteeism, resulting in a 4% decrease in chronic absenteeism in 2023-24, following a nearly 10% decrease the previous year.
  • Support for Homeless Families: In partnership with Many Mansions, LAUSD opened its first housing complex dedicated to families experiencing homelessness and launched a mobile laundry truck to support students and families.
  • Arts Funding: The district increased its total arts budget from $74 million in 2022-23 to over $206 million in 2023-24, with an additional $30 million investment planned for 2024-25 to ensure arts access for all students.

Upcoming Initiatives for 2024-25

Looking ahead, LAUSD plans to launch several new initiatives, including:

  • Vision Care Expansion
  • College Signing Day and College Fair
  • Transportation for All 2.0
  • New Principal Academy
  • Port of Los Angeles Training Facility Partnership
  • Safe Kids Alliance
  • TechRefresh
  • The 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project
  • iDream & Esports Mobile Labs
  • Eco-Sustainability Master Plan
  • LAUSD Health and Wellness Fair
  • Student Digital Wellness Plan
  • Partnership with SoLa Foundation
in News
Related Posts

(Video) Spending an Afternoon at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Go To Pacpark.com For Tickets and More Information. Go To https://t.co/fDDgcY6b3e For Tickets and More Information.#amusementpark #rides #rollercoaster #summer #spring...

Matū Kai to Debut in Brentwood With Grass Fed Wagyu and Global Flair This Week

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Farm-To-Fork Beef, Wood-Fired Flavors, and Sustainability Meet on San Vicente The team behind Beverly Hills’ acclaimed steakhouse Matū has expanded...

Mid-City Freeway Death Under Investigation After Caltrans Workers Find Blanket-Covered Body

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Woman Discovered on 10 Freeway Shoulder Identified; CHP Launches Probe Caltrans workers discovered a woman’s dead body around 9:00 a.m....

Community Support Saves Beloved West Hollywood Café from Closure

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Packed Tables and Emotional Messages Helped Keep the Doors Open Le Petit Four, the popular Sunset Boulevard café known for...

Egg Beaters Recalled Over Possible Chemical Contamination

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Massive Liquid Egg Recall Includes California Shipments Cargill Kitchen Solutions is recalling approximately 212,268 pounds of liquid egg products after...

Los Angeles County’s Measure A Raises Sales Tax On April 1, And It’s No Joke

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Culver City, and Malibu Will See Higher Increases Starting April 1, Los Angeles County residents will...

Robbery Boast on Instagram Helps Send Beverly Hills Heist Suspect to Prison

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Flashy Post, Federal Time: Smash-and-Grab Mastermind Sentenced Ladell Tharpe, 39, received an 84-month sentence from U.S. District Judge George H....

Culver City Rolls Out Hi-Lo Siren to Warn Residents During Emergencies

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Hi-Lo Warning System Activated: Culver City Adds New Evacuation Tool In an effort to strengthen emergency preparedness and public safety,...

Union Workers at UCLA to Strike April 1 Over Staffing Shortages, Labor Disputes

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Healthcare and Research Staff at UC to Strike, Alleging Unfair Labor Practices More than 20,000 healthcare, research, and technical professionals...

School of Rock Students Shine in Winter Performance Despite Widespread Fires

March 31, 2025

March 31, 2025

Summer Camp Registration Opens Now By Susan Payne Wildfire devastation wreaked havoc in areas of Los Angeles this January with...

Full House Creator’s Cielo Drive Estate Returns With Massive Price Drop

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Franklin’s Mansion, Once the Site of the Manson Tragedy, Back on Market Full House creator Jeff Franklin is returning to...

Santa Monica, Beverly Hills See Real Estate Shifts After L.A. Wildfires

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Beverly Hills and Brentwood Listings Triple in Wake of January Fires Home sales and listings have shifted dramatically across Westside...

Deputies Open Fire on Suspect in West Hollywood, Triggering Street Closures

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Suspect Shot by LASD in West Hollywood Domestic Violence Response Authorities are investigating a shooting that occurred Saturday evening in...

West Hollywood Resident Returns, Vandalizes Property, 30 Minutes After Eviction

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

“Neighbor From Hell” Tried to Re-Enter His Apartment and Damaged Property Valentino Lopez, a 41 year old, male Hispanic, was...

New Deadline, More Access: LA County Debris Program Expands Scope, Extends Signup

March 30, 2025

March 30, 2025

Officials Broaden Scope to Help More Residents, Encourage Early Submission Los Angeles County officials have announced that FEMA has agreed...