The L.A. Compact Charting Progress Dashboard has revealed the impact of the pandemic on student enrollment in the L.A. Community College District. The data speak to a larger trend of both declining enrollment rates in community colleges and declining transfer rates into the CSU system since 2019. Many CSUs and CCC's are working towards developing solutions for the long-term effects of the pandemic.

Compact partner California State University, Dominguez Hills, with UNITE-LA support, is leading the way in transforming the transfer culture on campus and among feeder community colleges in the area. With funding from L.A.'s Postsecondary Funders Collaborative, CSUDH is developing a transfer hub to support students and providing emergency funding to ensure matriculation.

This month, the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) shared with all [email protected] providers that they have approved an increase in the fiscal amount (slot allocation cost) dedicated per youth who participate in the workforce program from $2,650 to $3,873 for FY 2022-2023. This decision ensures more funding allocated for youth wages, supportive services, case management costs and more.

For a second year in a row, L.A. Unified was awarded a $44 million grant from the state’s Community Schools Partnership Program to sustain and expand the district’s Community Schools Initiative for another five years. Expanding the Community School model has been a key priority of the L.A. Compact since 2018. A program of the California Department of Education, the Community Schools Partnership has provided funding to more than 70 local education agencies across the state since 2021 to support schools’ efforts to partner with community agencies and local government to align community resources to improve student outcomes.

Compact signing institution UCLA has produced hundreds of thousands of alumni who have become Nobel laureates; leaders of state, business, and education; community change-makers; and, of course, UNITE-LA staff. Each year, UCLA honors a select few of these alumni who go above and beyond to serve our community. This year, UCLA awarded two L.A. Compact signers, Dr. Debra Duardo and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, for their careers supporting L.A. County residents.

We are excited to have Raylene Paris join the L.A. Compact team as our L.A. Compact Coordinator. As the newest addition to the Systems team, Raylene will support the Community Schools Initiative and assist in shaping and advancing a communications strategy for the L.A. Compact.

We are excited to have Edgar Castillo join the L.A. Compact team as our new Senior Manager of Workforce Development and Policy. Previously, Edgar led UNITE-LA's efforts to support chambers across the nation in advancing a shared cradle-to-career agenda to improve education and workforce outcomes. He now will lead the L.A. Workforce Systems Collaborative and support the Opportunity Youth Collaborative.

In late February, Superintendent Carvalho released his 100-day plan, which outlines how the district will expand high-quality academic opportunities and address the persistent opportunity gaps affecting Black and Latinx students. The plan is centered around four key tasks - learn, assess, communicate and act - that will lay the foundation for LAUSD's 2022-26 strategic plan.

L.A. County launches Breathe, a Guaranteed Income Program that will provide 1,000 eligible residents with $1,000 per month for three years. To learn more about the program and who is eligible to apply, please visit the Breathe website in English and Spanish. Applications will be live between March 31 and April 13. Guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment given directly to individuals with no strings attached and no work requirements. The County will also be conducting a study to see how this program will impact the economic stability of participants.

The state continues its ongoing support for community schools as a school improvement and equity-enhancing strategy and just released the 2021-22 California Community Schools Partnership Program Implementation Grant. In the first application round, $400 million are slated to go to districts across the state to continue or add new community schools. L.A. Unified, a Compact signer, will seize this opportunity to support existing community schools in meeting the four community school pillars for another five years. Applications are due April 11, 2022.