Dear friends and partners, 

Last week was a challenging time in LA Unified—with schools closed for three days as many of our employees were on strike. I’m grateful our kids are back in school and the District has reached a historic agreement with our SEIU employees.

During my tenure on the Board of Education, I’ve strived to always put kids first. In this case, that meant supporting our hard-working employees who serve those kids every day, while ensuring the District is on sound financial footing. From the bus drivers who pick up our students, to the cafeteria workers who make sure they’re fed, the special education assistants who help their kids thrive, and the buildings and grounds workers who keep our campuses clean, these men and women deserved an agreement that respects their invaluable contributions to our schools. With this agreement, we have ensured that LA Unified will have the highest minimum wage in the nation. But we also made sure that we kept the District on a path of fiscal solvency that I’ve worked so hard to get us on, including the recent improvement in our credit ratings as a result.

This deal cannot undo the harm of closing schools—or the months, years, or decades of disrespect that led workers to strike in desperation last week. I wish a resolution had come sooner, but I am hopeful this marks a new chapter of collaboration in support of kids.

Moving forward, the Board met today to approve the school calendars for the next three years. We also directed nearly $100 million in investments to campus upgrades, including outdoor classrooms, greening projects, clean air and drinking water efforts, school safety updates, and more. Read on for more about these projects in Board District 4—and how you can participate!

Onward,