Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2019 | Page 28

NEW Schools,
Student ACHIEVEMENT,
and Neighborhood
IMPROVEMENTS:
Los Angeles Unified’s
$10 Billion Investment
S
ince 1997, voters in Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD) have approved a series of bonds
dedicating over $27 billion in local and state fund-
ing to the construction, expansion, and renovation of
hundreds of school facilities. This was one of larg-
est public infrastructure programs in the United
States since the construction of the interstate
highway system. Through this bond program,
LAUSD constructed 131 new schools at
a cost of over $10 billion. My colleague,
David Schönholzer, and I study these
new school openings in Los Ange-
les to provide new evidence on
the effects of improving school
infrastructure on students and
neighborhoods (Disclaimer:
this research is from an
unpublished working
paper that is currently
going through the
peer review
process).
Charles H. Kim Elementary School, one of LAUSD’s first two CHPS certified schools and Carlos Santana Charter Arts School, North Hills, CA.
Photos courtesy of HED.
28 essentials | fall 2019