Feuer Urges Review of After-School Efforts

Calling quality after-school activities essential for elementary schoolchildren, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer on Tuesday asked for a comprehensive review of the city’s current after-school programs.

Feuer, chairman of the Arts, Health and Humanities Committee, also asked the city to bolster the acclaimed LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) program, which is facing a $300,000 shortfall in its $3.3-million budget this year.

“Good after-school programs promote educational achievement and help keep children away from drugs and crime,” Feuer said. “LA’s BEST is an excellent program with a proven track record and a national reputation. It would be a tragedy for it not to receive proper funding.”

A motion introduced by Feuer on Tuesday calls for a special meeting of the Arts, Health and Humanities Committee on Oct. 15. The meeting, which will include the participation of a wide range of city departments and agencies, is being held to determine which of the programs being funded by the city are most effective.

Los Angeles spends roughly $10 million a year on after-school programs, but has no clear idea which are working and which are not, Feuer said.

“For the first time we are taking a comprehensive look at our after-school programs to see how they can be strengthened,” Feuer said.

Providing free after-school activities to children at 24 Los Angeles elementary schools in neighborhoods deemed most vulnerable to drugs, gangs and crime, LA’s BEST receives 75% of its funding from the city and 25% from private donations.

The program, which was originally planned to expand throughout the city, has been held back by a lack of funding, officials said. It would take $12 million to reach 100 of the 418 elementary campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“This helps to get the momentum started. We have every confidence that the city will fund this program because it works for kids,” said LA’s BEST spokeswoman Tammy Johnson. Feuer’s motion also calls on LA’s BEST to work with the city’s chief legislative analyst to develop private fund-raising strategies for the program.