Boyle Heights Community Welcomes Michelle King as LAUSD Superintendent

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boyle Heights community leaders, parents and students congratulate Ms. King on her appointment as Superintendent of Schools for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"We are excited to welcome Ms. King who holds a strong track record supporting alternatives to suspensions and expulsions as a member of LAUSD's Successful School Climate Committee," said Manuel Criollo, Director of Organizing & Lead Organizer, Community Rights Campaigns for the Labor/Community Strategy Center. "Her new role is critical in leveraging Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) supplemental State funds in ensuring low-income students, English learners, foster children and others who are disenfranchised have fair and equal access to schools that offer healthy and safe opportunities to enjoy learning and that prepare students to become contributing members of our community through social and economic empowerment," added Mrs. Ari Gutierrez Arambula, Co-chair of the Building Healthy Communities - Boyle Heights' schools advocacy campaign and the Latino Equality Alliance.

Ms. King becomes the first African-American woman to ever hold ths post and the first woman in more than 80 years to lead the nation's second-largest school district.

"More than 90% of LAUSD students are ethnic and face severe social barriers to a good education," states Omar Torres, Director of Social Responsibility for the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA. "Superintendent King brings the capacity and ability to inform the direction of the district to better serve students. Her pledge to expand arts and music, double-down on college readiness and increase parent engagement signals a step in the right direction for our students."

We invite her to meet the Boyle Heights community at large to share her vision for LAUSD. The Building Healthy Communities Coalition stands in solidarity with inner city schools beyond Boyle Heights and looks forward to working with Superintendent King and her team as we build healthy, holistic schools together.

#LCFF4EdJustice
#lcff4boyleheights
#healthhappensinschools

About Building Healthy Communities (BHC)
Building Healthy Communities (BHC) is a 10-year, $1 billion program of The California Endowment (TCE). Fourteen communities across the state are working to create places where children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. BHC is focused on prevention and strategies aimed at changing community institutions, policies and systems. Through cross-sector collaboration and youth and resident engagement, BHC sites seek to improve neighborhood safety, unhealthy environmental conditions, access to healthy foods, education, housing, employment opportunities and more.

Contact: Joel Perez
213-700-5503
[email protected]

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SOURCE Building Healthy Communities Coalition

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