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LA Unified dusted off its giant ribbon cutting scissors today as Board President Richard Vladovic and officials from Bridge Housing, a property development company, unveiled a 90-unit apartment complex in Gardena that will be home for some lucky district employees who essentially are living in poverty.
According to a press release sent out this morning, “Of the 90 apartments, 62 have been rented by LAUSD employees” earning 30 to 60 percent of the median income. That’s between $14,177 for a single person and $28,355 for a family of four, according to City-Data.com.
While the goal of providing affordable housing to low-income district employees deserves to be lauded, the housing project was originally pitched to the school board as a future home for teachers who cited as a reason for quitting the district is that they live too far from where they work.
This project, and two others in the pipeline, were supposed to solve that problem. But, as LA School Report reported here, it turns out teachers make too much money to qualify to live in any of the units.
Dorsey High a Green Ribbon Schools award winner
Dorsey High School in south Los Angeles was among 58 schools, 14 districts, and nine postsecondary institutions honored by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this week as a Green Ribbon School.
The winners were chosen for their “progress in reducing environmental impact and utility costs, promoting better health for students and staff, and offering effective environmental education, including civics, STEM and green career pathways,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
“They demonstrate how sustainability concepts allow students to expand their traditional learning into the real world and to create change for the betterment of communities. This authentic learning engages students in all subjects, and bolsters their critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving capacities,” Duncan said in a statement.
Check out the below YouTube video featuring Duncan:
Registering students to vote
The United Way of Greater Los Angeles has launched an LA Youth Vote campaign aimed at registering 3,000 high school students. The campaign has received the support of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Assembly Member Jimmy Gomez, who helped kickoff the campaign on April 18.
Check out LAYouthVote on twitter for photos, video and more information about the voter drive.