Subject: Westchester High School

At the last Westchester Vitalization meeting, we discussed the issues concerning Westchester High School. You asked me to see what Galanter's office could do to address the concerns of the community. I wanted to update everyone on what Galanter's office has done and what's being planned.

Last week, I talked to the local superintendent's office, Marlene Canter's staff, and the Office of School Utilization regarding the proposed increase of students and bungalows at Westchester High School. On Monday, I joined Marlene Canter, her staff, and we met with Dana Perryman, Westchester High School's Principal to discuss the issue and we also toured the proposed location sites for the bungalows.

What I learned: Westchester High School has been selected to receive approximately 700 additional students within the next two years and a number of bungalows will be placed on the campus to accommodate the additional students.

Westchester High School is designated as a commuter school and 70% of its students come from outside of Westchester/PDR area. As a commuter high school, it has been selected to receive additional students and do its share to address the excess of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Furthermore, the enrollement numbers at Westchester High School are very low in comparison to other schools in the Los Angeles area.

I was also told the decision to add additional students at Westchester High School is final and it falls under the authority of the school board. This being said, I think we need to focus our efforts and concerns on how this plan is implemented and how it will effect the community. We need to be proactive in responding to the community and work together to address the areas of concern.

Yesterday, I told Marlene Canter and the other representatives involved that the community is very concerned and we need to address their concerns such as safety, parking, crime and be responsive to them. I also stressed to the school district that they should not come into the area without effectively informing the community what will happen at the high school and how it will impact the community.

I asked Marlene Canter to hold a public meeting to let the community know what's happening at the school, answer people's questions, and address their concerns. Canter agreed to hold a public meeting and we are working on scheduling a time and place.

I hope this information is helpful and I will keep you posted on this issue.

Please feel free to email me or call with any questions or thoughts you may have.

Very best,

Trevor

Trevor J. Daley
Office of Councilmember Galanter