A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY ISSUES : Making a Difference : One Business Community’s Approach: Adopt the Schools

There will be no simple or painless solutions to the problems created by themultimillion-dollar budget shortfalls, looming strike and cutbacks the Los Angeles Unified School District faces, but for 15 years the Adopt-a-School program has provided consistent, informal school support districtwide.

ADOPT-A-SCHOOL-PROFILE

670 SCHOOLS MATCHED TO

540 ADOPTERS, USUALLY BUSINESSES

AVERAGE LENGTH OF ADOPTION: 5 YEARS

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NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS: 24,750

AVERAGE PER ADOPTER: 55 VOLUNTEERS

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ANNUAL VOLUNTEER HOURS: 405,000

AVERAGE PER ADOPTER: 750 HOURS

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VALUE OF GOODS AND SERVICES DONATED $15,309,000

AVERAGE PER ADOPTER: $28,500

Source: Los Angeles Unified School District

HISTORY

Los Angeles’ Adopt-a-School program grew from a partnership initiated by ARCO with the 10th Street School in 1978, when similar programs were emerging in Texas and Massachusetts. By 1980 the district had paired 50 schools with 50 adopters. Today there are approximately 200,000 matches nationwide, but the Los Angeles program is the largest.

ADOPTION PROCESS

1) The school district’s Partnerships Office arranges meeting between prospective adopters and neighborhood schools.

2) Without soliciting specific financial contributions or arrangements, local school principal and adopter discuss concerns of that particular school and how adopter might assist. Occasionally students or teachers will meet with prospective adopters to talk about school’s needs.

3) Adopters establish level and scope of participation. Adopters need not meet any comparative or minimum level of participation but are encouraged to cultivate a long-term commitment with adopted schools.

OPINION

CAROLYN ELLNER: Dean of School of Education and Professor of Secondary and Adult Education, Cal State Northridge

At is worst it’s a patronizing, T-shirt-buying relationship where the company says, OK, we’ll give you this much money for T-shirts or something else. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it certainly doesn’t go deep enough to make the partnership very meaningful.

Ideally, it’s to give more resources to the school and to open up a horizon for the school so that the schools’ boundaries don’t stop at the Cyclone fence around the property. When people are more involved with the school system, they understand what the schools are trying to do and are more willing to support the schools.

RANGE OF GOODS AND SERVICES PROVIDED

Academic

KWKW Radio’s La Mexicana” attendance incentive program with Cudahy’s Park Avenue School provides winning students with certificates, trips to Dodger games, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm as well as individual on-air congratulations. Since the adoption 18 months ago, attendance has increased 8.1%.

Equipment, Staff and Supplies

Even after National medical Enterprise moved from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, the company continued its adoption, now 10 years old, of the Brockton Ave. Elementary School. Among its contributions, the company created and equipped a science center. It supplies lab equipment, computers, instructional materials, a science library -- even lab smocks -- and underwrites the cost of lab support staff.

Employment/Life Skills

Since becoming an adopter in July 1992, attorneys, accountants, paralegals, librarians, secretaries and support staff from the law offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher have conducted career programs, discussing job preparedness and opportunities with Mount Vernon Middle School students at the area school and at the company’s offices.

Extra-curricular

East Los Angeles’ Hammel Street Elementary School has raised hundreds of dollars for school activities selling popcorn to teachers, staff, students and their families using one of its many contributions from the Delores Canning Company, its adopter of 10 years: a commercial popping machine, oil, popcorn and bags.

TO GET INVOLVED

Contact the LAUSD Partnerships Office at (213)-625-6989 or for other L.A. County school districts call the County Office of Education at (310)-992-6356. Orange County: Department of Education, (714)-966-4344; Riverside County: Office of Education, (909)-788-6675; San Bernardino County: Superintendent of Schools, (909)-387-3103; Ventura County: contact nearest school district office.