Los Angeles K-12 and higher education leaders plan for collaboration around the L.A. College Promise and other joint college access priorities

On July 21, senior leaders from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) came together at the LAUSD-LACCD Executive Roundtable to discuss the L.A. College Promise and other shared priorities related to expanding college access for L.A. youth. Announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti in April during his annual State of the City address, the L.A. College Promise(Promise) is a landmark initiative that will provide one year of free community college tuition to LAUSD high school graduates who enroll at LACCD campuses, beginning with the Class of 2017. The Mayor’s Office has since established a committee of government, school district, community college, business, and philanthropic leaders to help develop and oversee the initiative.

Convened by the L.A. Compact, the LAUSD-LACCD Executive Roundtable provided an opportunity to brief the six LAUSD local district superintendents and the nine LACCD community college presidents on elements of the Promise, and to solicit ideas on how the two systems could better collaborate on related student success priorities. The group expressed interest in developing a joint communications strategy to effectively promote the Promise with students, families, and community members, as well as interest in strengthening collaboration around dual enrollment and college bridging experiences that promote student success, persistence, and completion in college.  

In addition to informing the L.A. College Promise implementation plan, the Roundtable served as a final stakeholder engagement event for Superintendent King’s Listen and Learn Tour, a series of stakeholder engagement events designed to inform her vision and goals for LAUSD.  Superintendent King is expected to release her 2016-2019 strategic plan in early August. 

The Roundtable was facilitated by Superintendent King, LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, and UNITE-LA President David Rattray, and included presentations by L.A. College Promise committee members, including: Ms. Lisa Salazar, Director of Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity at the Office of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti; Dr. Ryan Cornner, Vice Chancellor of Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness at LACCD; Dr. Robert Miller, Vice Chancellor of Finance and Resource Development at LACCD; Dr. Deborah Harrington, Dean of Student Success at LACCD; and Dr. Frances Gipson, Chief Academic Officer at LAUSD. 

The L.A. Compact is a bold commitment by Los Angeles leaders from the education, business, government, labor and nonprofit sectors to transform education outcomes from cradle to career, ensuring that today’s youth have the skills necessary to compete and succeed in a 21st century global workforce. A partnership between the LAUSD Office of the Superintendent and the L.A. Compact, the Listen and Learn Tour is a community engagement plan for Superintendent Michelle King to learn from students, parents and guardians, school teachers, administrators and staff, and key community stakeholder groups.