Beverly Hills school leaders set a lofty goal: Raise $1 million in one week to stave off cuts

05-03-2011

By Howard Blume/Los Angeles Times

Even by Beverly Hills standards, the idea is rich: Raise $1 million in one week to bail out a tiny public school system that is thriving but still lacks immunity from the financial ills plaguing California's schools. The fundraiser, which kicked off Monday, is meant to spare Beverly Hills Unified about two dozen layoffs. So far, Beverly Hills has been able to maintain class sizes of 20 in the early grades and 29 in the upper grade levels; neighboring behemoth L.A. Unified, which has laid off thousands and is poised to lay off thousands more, passed a budget that calls for 30 students per class in the lower grades and numbers that move sharply upward from there. Beverly Hills Unified, with 4,700 students, has four schools that serve kindergarten through eighth grade students and one high school. About three-quarters of student enrollment is white, followed by Asians at 13%. About 8% of students qualify for subsidized meals. (more...)

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Beverly Hills school leaders set a lofty goal: Raise $1 million in one week to stave off cuts

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