As we gear up for the new school year, you may have heard from your school principal about the new “Communities of Schools” that are starting at LAUSD this year. Communities of Schools are regional groupings of schools within a neighborhood where local district staff will be centralized to better assist families. The District launched the Communities of Schools to make it easier and more efficient for students, families, and school staff to get the support they need.
Each Community of Schools contains all of the schools in a particular neighborhood or small city. They are usually arranged by feeder pattern, which means they are centered around the high school of a location and the middle and elementary schools that correspond to that high school. The Community of Schools office will be located on the campus of one of the schools in that cluster. The Communities of Schools are each led by their own “Community of Schools Administrator”, who oversees the schools in their area. Each Community of Schools is also staffed with a team that will work full-time in their regional offices to offer services to students and families.
The Communities of Schools will make it easier for families and staff to get in touch with someone locally with any questions or concerns instead of having to travel all the way to Beaudry looking for answers. The Communities of Schools will offer services unique to their regions and will be in charge of answering stakeholder questions, offering trainings and town halls, and disseminating important information to their schools.
Families and staff should view their Community of Schools as a network of support. You should still first try reaching out to your school’s administration, though, to see if they can answer your questions before contacting your Community of Schools staff.
Below is the complete list of Communities of Schools that are located within Board District 5. Stay tuned on our social media pages where we will be highlighting each Community of School and the schools they cover.
Bell, Maywood, Cudahy Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Ruben Valles
Office: Park Ave. Elementary School
Office phone number: (323) 302-3029
South Gate Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Jesus Nunez
Office: South Gate High School
Office phone number: (213) 302-3030
Vernon, Walnut Park, Huntington Park Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Gerardo Loera
Office: Miles Ave. Elementary School
Office phone number: (213) 302-3028
South Central/Jefferson Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Carlos Montes
Office: Los Angeles Academy Middle School
Office phone number: (323) 761-1276
Eagle Rock/Highland Park Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Titus Campos
Office: Yorkdale Elementary School
Office phone number: (323) 761-1285
Glassell Park/Los Feliz Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Norma Spencer
Office: Lexington Primary Center
Office phone number: (323)761-1273
Hollywood Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Travis Brandy
Office: Ramona Elementary School
Office phone number: 323-210-1050
Lincoln Heights/El Sereno Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Pedro Avalos
Office: Wilson High School
Office phone number: (323) 276-1721
Downtown/MacArthur Park Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Susana Gutierrez
Office: Rosemont Ave. Elementary School
Office phone number: (213) 413-5311
East Los Angeles Community of Schools
Community of Schools Administrator: Lourdes Ramirez-Ortiz
Office: Perez Special Education Center
Office phone number: (213) 302-3027
NOTE: The Communities of Schools are not Community Schools, which we wrote about previously. Community Schools are a research-based model for public schools that acknowledges that schools extend beyond the classroom doors and makes it a priority to reach out to members of the outside community to come together for students. A Community School would be located within the Community of Schools, but will have some autonomy due to the unique characteristics of a community school.