Wave Staff Report

LOS ANGELES — More than 22,000 students living in unincorporated communities within South Los Angeles represented by county Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell will receive support under a landmark partnership approved by the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education.

The agreement represents the latest partnership the district has built with local governments and the first with the county to support unincorporated areas. It is the district’s 11th education compact since their inception in 2023 with other municipalities serving district students.

In addition to the commitment to strengthen collaboration in other areas, the compact addresses two of the most urgent challenges facing students and families living in county-governed areas: homelessness and school safety.

“Homelessness and safety are not school problems or county problems. They are community problems,” said Andrés E. Chait, acting superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “When we solve these matters together, families and children are the ones who benefit.”

“This Education Compact marks the first for any unincorporated community in Los Angeles County and builds on the work we’re currently doing with Los Angeles Unified to ensure our young people are fully supported to thrive,” Mitchell said. “Students cannot reach their full potential if they are experiencing homelessness, navigating unsafe routes to school, or lacking access to critical services and opportunities.”

“By formalizing this partnership, we are strengthening our shared commitment to supporting the whole child and ensuring that families in our unincorporated communities have the resources they need to succeed,” she added.

The compact covers five neighborhoods within Mitchell’s 2nd District district: Athens, Florence-Firestone, View Park-Windsor Hills, West Carson and Willowbrook. Those areas host 52 Los Angeles Unified schools and more than half of all district students in the county’s unincorporated areas where approximately 40,000 students reside.

“It is important that students who live in unincorporated county areas receive the same attention as students who live in the city of Los Angeles and the southeast cities,” said school board President Scott M. Schmerelson. “This agreement … will go a long way to getting our students who are experiencing homelessness the resources they and their families need. More work needs to be done to enhance student safety and security, but LAUSD is ready to partner with any organization to help our students.”

“This compact between Los Angeles Unified and Los Angeles County Supervisorial District 2 represents a shared commitment to strengthening services for students and families in our communities,” said school board member Sherlett Hendy Newbill, who represents most of the area. “By aligning resources and expanding collaboration, we can work together to address critical areas such as homelessness, student health, family engagement, transportation, and safe passage to and from school.

Under the program, schools will continue to refer homeless students and their families for county services. Supervisor Mitchell’s office addresses the other side of this challenge by strengthening coordination with the county’s unsheltered outreach teams to address encampments and recreational vehicles near school communities, while also helping connect the unhoused populations to housing resources and pathways to stable housing.

Another key focus of the compact is Safe Passage — programs and initiatives designed to help students travel safely to and from school. Both parties will assess schools in unincorporated areas lacking violence prevention programs or youth mentoring to determine what types of support can be provided. Mitchell’s office will also examine possible supports including crosswalks, lighting, and signage near campuses.

The compact will help connect more students to existing no-cost transportation opportunities through expanded promotion of the Metro GoPass program. Both parties will work to increase awareness of the program and encourage greater student participation, helping more students take advantage of free public transit. The district, meanwhile, will explore the feasibility of bringing mobile health clinics and mental health providers directly to select campuses.

When the county-operated MLK Youth Center opens in Willowbrook, the district will aim to connect nearby families with the program by helping to promote those services. Both sides will also encourage youth and family participation in Supervisor Mitchell’s public budgeting process, giving families a voice in how county dollars are spent.

The new compact builds on the efforts to date with other municipalities. For example, the compact between the district and the city of Los Angeles includes safety and positive school climates as a key shared priority, and the city has increased investment in these efforts in recent years including in the recently adopted city budget.

That includes continued support in safe passage, the pilot program through the city of Los Angeles’ Gang Reduction and Intervention Department that provides gang intervention resources and supports students traveling safely to and from school. The pilot program currently operates at Sotomayor High School in Canoga Park High School and Virgil Middle School and Bernstein High School in the Hollywood area, demonstrating ongoing collaboration to support students and families.