EDUCATION COMPACT
Between The Los Angeles Unified School District And The City of Lomita
As part of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan for the Los Angeles Unified School District (“District” or “Los Angeles Unified”), new education compacts are to be established between the District and local governmental entities. Education Compacts with the municipal governments in the South region are intended to align resources and implement innovative programs to equip students with the tools they need to be Ready for the World.
As a member of the South region, the City of Lomita (“City”) is served by the District and accounts for approximately 2,193 student enrollment at District schools located in the City of Lomita (LAUSD SY 24-25 Enrollment). The City of Lomita has 20,000 residents (2020 US Census) and spans a total area of 1.9 square miles. Students who live in the City of Lomita attend these and other schools: Lomita Magnet Elementary School, Eshelman Avenue Elementary School, Fleming Middle School, and Narbonne High School. The District and the City may each be referred to individually herein as a “Party” or, collectively, as “the Parties.” Through this Education Compact (“Compact”), the City and the District will collaborate to meet the educational needs of youth and families in the City through the end of the District’s Strategic Plan (June 2026). The City and the District may choose to revisit the Compact after June 2026 to renew their shared commitments to students and families of the City of Lomita.
The commitments outlined are not legally binding, nor do they mandate budgetary expenditures on behalf of the Parties. They represent a shared philosophical goal of improving educational opportunities and enriching the lives of children and families attending District sites or living within the City. The Parties recognize there may be financial expenditures associated with one or more of the following aspects; however, any financial expenditure should not be made unless the responsible Party’s governing board has authorized the expenditure through its budgetary process and should be voluntary in nature.
The Compact between the District and the City should undertake efforts that would be enriched, expedited, or enhanced through collaborative efforts in the following areas:
1. Communications and Ongoing Engagement
2. Enrollment and Positive Attendance
3. Safe Routes to School and Other Traffic Safety Improvements
4. Safe and Positive School Climate
5. Student Mental Health & Wellness Services
6. Parent and Family Engagement
7. Academics and Expanded Learning
8. Digital Access and Connectivity
9. Shared Facilities and Green Spaces
10. Transportation
Key Focus Areas:
1. Community Collaboration and Communication:
o Joint efforts to improve communication between the City and LAUSD.
Information about schools, programs, and events should be shared via City websites, social media, and newsletters.
o Promotion of educational programs and job opportunities through city-sponsored events and initiatives.
o The Compact encourages partnerships with local businesses to create mentorship and volunteering opportunities, aimed at boosting student success. o The City, as part of its annual Lemonade Day, will promote this event to increase participation from District students and empower youth to explore entrepreneurship. The District will also collaborate with the City to share information about this event with students, families, and staff. This annual initiative, hosted by the Lomita Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of Lomita, provides students with an experiential learning program that teaches them how to start, own and operate their own lemonade stand.
2. Enrollment and Positive Attendance:
o The City should support student recruitment efforts and collaborate on campaigns aimed at improving school attendance.
o Regular attendance campaigns and events should help ensure that all eligible youth in Lomita are enrolled in District schools.
3. Safe Routes to School and Other Traffic Safety Improvements:
o The City and LAUSD should work together to ensure safe routes to school. o The District will promote programs such as the Traffic Safety Valet to alleviate congestion and improve pedestrian safety around schools. o Both parties should regularly assess traffic conditions and implement safety improvements near school campuses.
4. School Safety and Positive Climate:
o Safety Collaborative and other meetings between the City, District, and law enforcement agencies should review safe passage issues with the goal of addressing school safety, crime prevention, and updates on local initiatives. o Data-sharing agreements should be explored to better understand and address crime trends near schools, enhancing student safety and well-being.
5. Student Mental Health & Wellness Services:
o Joint efforts should be made to expand public health education, particularly focusing on combating drug overdoses and improving mental health services for students.
o The City and District should explore bringing mobile health services and expanding mental health resources in Lomita.
6. Parent and Family Engagement:
o The District should develop workshops and classes tailored to Lomita families through the Family Academy, with the City supporting the promotion of these offerings.
o The City and District should explore creating a Parent Resource Center at a City facility, providing a centralized hub for information and resources.
7. Academic and Expanded Learning:
o Both parties should work to promote academic and enrichment programs like tutoring, summer programs, and extracurricular activities to help students address learning gaps.
o Cultural enrichment programs such as the Cultural Arts Passport should be offered to Lomita families, with a focus on leveraging local cultural and historical sites.
8. Digital Access and Connectivity:
o The District will continue its advocacy to urge increased connectivity funding to provide students access to devices and internet services for off-campus use. o Partnerships should be explored to improve broadband access and eliminate digital divides, ensuring that all families in Lomita have access to high-speed internet.
9. Shared Facilities and Green Spaces:
o The City and District should collaborate on the use of shared facilities, including athletic fields, and green spaces, to host school and community events and provide recreation opportunities for students and families. o Both parties should work to increase green spaces on school properties, creating more recreational areas for families and students to enjoy. o The District should examine how to strengthen the collection of developer fees for all new residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects within the school district boundaries, including opportunities for increased collaboration with the City in support of these efforts to collect and transmit developer fees for construction projects in the City.
10. Transportation:
o The City should support the promotion of free Metro GoPass Program passes for students, ensuring that all eligible youth have access to reliable public transportation.
Duration and Review
This Compact is effective through the end of the LAUSD’s Strategic Plan (June 2026). Both Parties may revisit and renew the Compact after this date to continue their collaborative efforts in support of the Lomita community.
APPENDIX
Cultural Arts Passport
The Los Angeles Unified Cultural Arts Passport is a program to provide students access to the Arts. In partnership with Southern California’s finest cultural organizations and venues, the Cultural Arts Passport program ensures equal access to arts, culture and environmental experiences for every child. The Cultural Arts Passport is partially supported through generous monetary and in-kind donations from the community. Founding partners who generously support the initiative include The Broad Foundation, Creative Arts Agency, the Fender Play Foundation and other cultural institutions.
Digital Divide Partnerships
The District has developed partnerships with LTE/5G and fixed broadband providers such as Verizon and AT&T to allow piggyback on our contracts with very affordable pricing for other governmental entities.
Everyone Mentors LA
Everyone Mentors LA is a new mentoring initiative by Los Angeles Unified that will invest in the lives of historically underserved students to ensure every student graduates Ready for the World. The new initiative will match students contending with declining grades, chronic absenteeism, a need for socio-emotional support and other challenges that have inhibited their academic success with a mentor from the Los Angeles community. More information on this program can be found at https://achieve.lausd.net/everyonementors.
Family Academy
The Los Angeles Unified Family Academy is designed to leverage families’ assets to be empowered as they support their child from the early primary years to college and career success. This effort complements family knowledge by connecting them to actionable learning focused on their child’s development, as well as opportunities to accelerate their own careers and quality of livelihood. Families may expand and share prior knowledge with other parent leaders by attending learning segments offered by the Family Academy course catalog, which offers webinar and regional segments hosted in-person. The course catalog is available at achieve.lausd.net/familyacademy.
A second path to learning with the Family Academy is through four family courses which are geared for the following family audiences: youngest learners, multilingual learners, twice exceptional, and Black and African-American students. The curriculum is organized as a 7-class course experience where families engage in a culturally relevant curriculum, in a cohort learning environment, define family engagement, and develop their action plan to stay engaged in their child’s education. Course registration information is available at achieve.lausd.net/familyacademy. Families may also contact the Los Angeles Unified Family Hotline for more information: 213-443-1300.
Traffic Safety Valet Program
The Los Angeles Unified Safety Valet program is designed to help improve student safety and provide more fluid movement of vehicular traffic around schools during the morning drop off. A Valet directs drivers through a queue of traffic cones where volunteers assist students to safely exit the car. This eliminates the need for parents to exit their vehicles and for students to cross busy intersections.