LAUSD incurs $200 million emergency expenses
By: Cambri Guest
The Los Angeles Unified School District will incur an estimated $200 million in additional costs due to the coronavirus, said Superintendent Austin Beutner in a live stream Monday morning. Some of the costs include training educators to teach virtually, distributing digital devices to students, providing meals and safety equipment to children and families and additional investments in summer school.
Beutner realizes the increase in spending and education is “counter-intuitive” but believes it to be a “necessary investment.” There has not been official assurance of reimbursement to LAUSD for their efforts on the state level, especially with California tax revenue decreasing.
“It should be the responsibility of other government agencies — the Federal Communications Commission at the federal level, Public Utility Commission at the state level — to address this challenge,” Beutner said. “But in the absence of actions by others, we will address the issue and sort out the cost later.”
A looming question that remains is when students will return to the classroom. While there is no clear answer, Beutner asserted that the district will welcome students back as soon as it is safe and appropriate. The precautions and logistics associated with reopened doors are more complex.
LAUSD closed schools on March 15th before there was any known occurrence of the virus within the district in order to mitigate the spread and follow state ordinances. Likewise, the reopening of the district will be a joint effort with Calif. health authorities. Before the district can reopen, LAUSD must determine what testing is available and what exposure risk schools may pose to students, staff and families, said Beutner.
“The balance between the health risks and the need to reopen the economy is one which will need careful evaluation and an open public conversation in the many weeks ahead as health authorities provide all of us with more information, said Beutner. “In the long run there’s no economy without education, and in the short run there’s a much smaller economy without child care and the safety net public schools provide to working families.”
According to Gabriel Petek, legislative analyst for the state of California, the state will experience a deficit of an estimated $35 billion, which will more than double in years to come. Petek said this financial crisis is akin to California’s budget during the Great Recession.
The district’s list of coronavirus emergency expenses include:
- $78 million for meals to children and adults.
- $50 million for expanded summer education.
- $31 million for online education training for teachers.
- $23 million to close the “digital divide” and connect students from low-income families to the internet and provide technology to ensure as many students as possible are engaged in online learning.
- $9 million for safety equipment and supplies.
The district does not know where the money to fund these expenses will come from but is asking for community support. “It will take some time as well as public and political support to make sure we’re properly reimbursed by local state and federal government for these investments we’re making for students and families,” Beutner said.
LAUSD is already seeing the fruits of their labor. They have successfully helped narrow the digital divide among students, reducing the number of disconnected high school students from more than 15 thousand students to fewer than three thousand. Progress has also been seen at the elementary school level as devices have been distributed to students.
Outside of the classroom, LAUSD served its 10 millionth meal on Monday since campuses closed by way of 60 grab-and-go distribution centers.
The district remained open while training educators, maintaining critical relationships with students and providing a sense of a learning community. By keeping schools open, LAUSD avoided spending nearly $100 million dollars per week, said Beutner in his statement.
Beutner made a promise to ensure every child has the critical foundation of English literacy, required mathematics and critical thinking before they finish elementary school.
“The cost to children in society if we don’t [ensure that they continue to receive an education] far outweighs the investment we need to make now,” Beutner said. “Unless we’re prepared to sacrifice the generation of boys and girls who are counting on a great education as a path out of poverty.”
Due to the unprecedented circumstances, LAUSD expects the state to delay the passage of a complete budget (normally released on June 30) until later in the year. March 15 is the state-mandated deadline for districts to make significant changes to staffing, so Beutner does not anticipate, “significant reductions in the upcoming year.”
