LAUSD Board Vice President Nick Melvoin recently presented a $100,000 grant for campus greening to Laurel Span Elementary School on Hayworth Avenue. (photo courtesy of Nick Melvoin’s office)

As the Los Angeles Unified School District nears the end of another eventful school year, I want to provide an update for West Hollywood, the Fairfax District and surrounding communities that I represent on the district’s Board of Education.

We are hard at work making progress on academic recovery efforts, finishing facilities projects and planning new ones to enhance our school campuses, and supporting the wellbeing of our students, families and school staff.

I am especially committed to supporting the families of the Hancock Park Elementary school community in the aftermath of the tragic traffic accident that took the life of a school mother and left her daughter hospitalized. The next day, I was grateful for the opportunity to speak at a Los Angeles City Council hearing in support of new traffic safety measures, many of which we’ve been long advocating for to keep kids safe. I’ve been working closely with Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and will continue to push for increased presence of crossing guards and more speed bumps near our schools, and help to ensure that schools can more easily access the traffic support they need. This is not the first traffic accident we’ve witnessed around our schools, but I hope we can partner with city officials to make it the last.

Inside our classrooms, the work continues to boost academic achievement, with new initiatives to provide free tutoring sessions, expanded mental health services, professional development resources to set educators up for success and more enrichment programs to promote joy and wellness for our students. And these efforts don’t end with the school year. Registration is open for another exciting summer of learning and enrichment opportunities available at no cost to all LAUSD students.

We are also focused on greening and upgrading school facilities, with continued investments in our campuses to foster the best possible learning environments for kids. In 2020, Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly approved a $7 billion facilities bond – the largest in the nation – and we are using those funds to prioritize safe, modern campuses, classroom upgrades, greening projects and outdoor learning spaces.

We are moving forward with the planning of an exciting campus modernization project at Fairfax High, construction is underway for the comprehensive modernization project at Burroughs Middle School and the board has approved several additional projects to upgrade our learning environments at West Hollywood Elementary, Hollywood High and Laurel Early Education Center. Last month, I joined the school community at Wonderland Elementary to cut the ribbon on a new, state-of-the-art classroom building and learning garden. We are also working to increase green space on campuses, with Melrose Elementary on the list of schools set to receive a $150,000 grant. I was recently at Laurel Span School to present a $100,000 greening grant from my office.

Even as we approach the end of this school year, there is more work ahead to keep driving progress in our school communities. Thank you for your partnership and support of your local public schools. I look forward to continuing these important efforts and more to put kids first and create a future where every child can graduate ready for the world.