Parents from across Los Angeles gave mixed grades for the district’s approach in involving them in budgetary decisions Wednesday, at a forum hosted by New America Media and organization Families In Schools, intended as an outlet for parents to voice their concerns.
“This was a great networking event for parents,” said Families In Schools coordinator Cynthia Perez, highlighting the various media outlets present at the meeting. “They had a platform to speak out.”
The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) will bring in massive amounts of new funds into LAUSD schools. The law also requires considerable parent inclusion in budgeting decisions- an area that many parents here said the district suffers in.
But parents also mentioned what LAUSD is doing right. “To the district’s credit, they have recognized the need to inform parents. They have hosted about 100 community meetings to get the word out about what LCFF is,” said Paul Robak, a LAUSD parent leader. But he also called for meeting times to be considerate of parents’ work schedules, as others called for more aggressive parent outreach.
To hear more on what parents had to say, check the video above.
