UPDATED: A CALL-TO-ACTION FOR YOU FROM BOARDMEMBER KAYSER ABOUT THE IMPENDING ELIMINATION OF BEYOND-THE-BELL YOUTH SERVICES FOR 42,000+ STUDENTS
June 26, 2012
Dear 4LAKids Reader:
I write to express alarm and concern for the safety and well-being of our children. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is proposing to eliminate the Youth Services program (a $6.9 million cut) that provides after-school direct services to over 42,000 students daily, across the district’s 26 cities and portions of the County. Additionally, thousands more will lose access to their campus at 2:10pm, ending non-profit and private enrichment programs, tutoring, arts education, evening nutrition, and sports and recreation opportunities. Worse, there is not private capacity to take on 50,000 children by the start of school in six weeks even if their parents had the money to pay for after-school care.
Fifty-thousand latchkey children, ranging from 5 years of age to teenagers will soon be populating our parks, libraries, and streets. As a school police officer noted, the gangs have an afterschool program too and they are not making budget cutbacks. We simply have no choice, local governments and foundations must come together to solve this crisis as it impacts all of us through increased rates of bullying, obesity, poverty, teen pregnancy, crime and dropout rates, never-mind the adverse affect on the local economy and family budgets.
Through wars, depressions and recessions, since 1915, the LAUSD has provided some form of free, after school programming to millions of students and families, but on June 28th, 2012 the LAUSD Superintendent, proposes to end that commitment. As a Board Member, teacher for 14 years, and parent of two LAUSD graduates, I cannot stand by and allow our students, parents, and communities to be put at risk. Frankly, I cannot think of one standardized test, curriculum overhaul or evaluation metric that could be worth more than the safety of a child, nor one pot-hole for that matter.
I need your help to ensure that the Superintendent and my colleagues at the Board of Education understand the gravity of this situation and the potential catastrophic impact eliminating after school programming will have on all of us. I would like to close by thanking you for your time and consideration on this most important of issues. We are all servants of communities and together we can guarantee that our children will remain safe with an eye towards their future.
Sincerely,
Bennett Kayser
Board Member, District 5
Dear 4LAKids Reader:
I write to express alarm and concern for the safety and well-being of our children. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is proposing to eliminate the Youth Services program (a $6.9 million cut) that provides after-school direct services to over 42,000 students daily, across the district’s 26 cities and portions of the County. Additionally, thousands more will lose access to their campus at 2:10pm, ending non-profit and private enrichment programs, tutoring, arts education, evening nutrition, and sports and recreation opportunities. Worse, there is not private capacity to take on 50,000 children by the start of school in six weeks even if their parents had the money to pay for after-school care.
Fifty-thousand latchkey children, ranging from 5 years of age to teenagers will soon be populating our parks, libraries, and streets. As a school police officer noted, the gangs have an afterschool program too and they are not making budget cutbacks. We simply have no choice, local governments and foundations must come together to solve this crisis as it impacts all of us through increased rates of bullying, obesity, poverty, teen pregnancy, crime and dropout rates, never-mind the adverse affect on the local economy and family budgets.
Through wars, depressions and recessions, since 1915, the LAUSD has provided some form of free, after school programming to millions of students and families, but on June 28th, 2012 the LAUSD Superintendent, proposes to end that commitment. As a Board Member, teacher for 14 years, and parent of two LAUSD graduates, I cannot stand by and allow our students, parents, and communities to be put at risk. Frankly, I cannot think of one standardized test, curriculum overhaul or evaluation metric that could be worth more than the safety of a child, nor one pot-hole for that matter.
I need your help to ensure that the Superintendent and my colleagues at the Board of Education understand the gravity of this situation and the potential catastrophic impact eliminating after school programming will have on all of us. I would like to close by thanking you for your time and consideration on this most important of issues. We are all servants of communities and together we can guarantee that our children will remain safe with an eye towards their future.
Sincerely,
Bennett Kayser
Board Member, District 5