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: