Beutner applauds scope of district’s pandemic response
Outgoing superintendent offers hope during final state of schools address at Hollywood Bowl
Using his final State of the Schools address to shine a spotlight on public education, outgoing Los Angeles Unified schools chief Austin Beutner also used the moment to call on all Angelenos to make sure every child receives a good education.
In a speech centered on the theme that the nation’s secondlargest K-12 system has served as a model for other districts, Beutner made a case for why an address about public education deserved to be delivered at the Hollywood Bowl, on the same stage where artists like Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix have performed.
“People come from all over the world to celebrate in the cultural heritage found in our community,” Beutner said about the venue in the opening remarks of his speech. “I can’t think of a more fitting location to celebrate public education.”
Tuesday’s event featured performances by LAUSD students who sang, performed jazz numbers and led the Pledge of Allegiance in multiple languages. They performed before a crowd of a few hundred administrators, educators and community members.
Beutner, who will step down as superintendent at the end of this month, devoted a good chunk of his speech to highlighting LAUSD’s “nation-leading” response to the coronavirus pandemic, including:
Providing 140 million meals to students and adults in the community — which district officials say is the largest single food relief effort in U.S. history — as well as 40million other items such as masks, hand sanitizer, clothes, shoes, toys, books and school supplies. The district also started a charitable fund called LA Students Most in Need that has raised $40 million to support students and their families.
Providing computer devices and internet access to a halfmillion students for distance learning. A deal struck with Verizon to provide internet access has since been adopted by the state of California and 40 other states.
Providing weekly COVID-19 testing of students and staff on campus. LAUSD is the only large district in the country doing this, according to Beutner.
Running school-based vaccination sites targeted at communities hardest hit by the pandemic and where many residents lack access to health care services, plus becoming the only large school district in the country to deploy mobile teams of clinicians to every middle and high school campus to make it easier for kids 12 and up to get their shots.
Running, at SoFi Stadium, the largest vaccination site in the country was devoted to getting school employees vaccinated.
Despite criticisms from some parents that the district was overly cautious in its decisions related to pandemic-related school closures, Beutner maintained that both closing schools in March 2020 before there had been any transmission in schools and before state and county officials had issued guidances and the decision to remain closed in August when the last school year started saved lives.
On Tuesday, Beutner also thanked the individual donors and organizations that stepped up to support students during the pandemic.
Fender Guitar, for example, distributed guitars, electric basses and ukuleles free to more than 7,500 students and partnered
“People come from all over the world to celebrate in the cultural heritage found in our community. I can’t think of a more fitting location to celebrate public education.”
— Austin Beutner,
Los Angeles Unified schools superintendent
with LAUSD music teachers to provide virtual guitar classes, while a partnership with PBS to provide daily instructional, gradelevel programs during distance learning has since been replicated by school districts and PBS affiliates in more than 30 states, he said.
The superintendent also recognized Amazon, which recently announced a partnership to provide flexible employment opportunities for LAUSD graduates who commit to attending a local community college full-time by working around their class schedules. Since the partnership was announced last month, school districts in Chicago, Denver and elsewhere have expressed interest in replicating the program, the superintendent said.
“A pattern … has emerged over these past few years — ideas that are born and bred in our schools, ideas that are born and bred in Los Angeles Unified are becoming a model for the nation. And I rather like the sound of that,” Beutner said.
The outgoing superintendent also offered parting advice to the school leaders that had gathered to hear his address. First, he said, they should keep schools and students at the center of their work. Second, they should “remember the magic happens in the classroom,” beginning with early literacy. Third, LAUSD staff should continue to recognize that schools are the best place to provide services to students and families.
Lastly, Beutner said “the entire community of Los Angeles needs to step up and support public education.”
“The future of our community, our state and our nation is in our public schools,” he said. “I’m pleased to say the future looks very bright.”