Belvedere Citizen / Eastside Journal, Number 37, 10 September 1980 — East LA schools review efforts [ARTICLE]

East LA schools review efforts

East Los Angeles schools are doing their part in improving the lives of community residents, according to a recent fact sheet prepared by the local area office. During the 1979-80 school year, Area 6, which covers the eastside, received funds for compensatory education programs in the amount of 825.4 million. Also according to the area office, the number of bilingual classrooms in East LA is the highest of anywhere in the district, 810. TEST Students in the local senior high schools passed the reading proficiency test known as SHARP (Senior High Assessment of Reading Performance) at a rate of 97.3 percent. The overall district average was 973 percent. More than 60 percent of the 1979 graduating class of the four area high schools planned to attend a two-or four year college. In addition to the 810 bilingual teachers in the area, at the time the fact sheet was prepared, there were 703 bilingual teacher

aides. Over the past three years, the local school area has increased parent involvement, providing parent education training for more than 3000. In addition, all school to home communications are bilingual. HOUSING During the 1970’5, 19 East LA school completed building replacement programs at a cost of $23.5 million. , Since January of 1979, when a new five-year building program was adopted, projects have been started or are planned at several local schools, including Albion, Farms dale, Hillside, Humphreys, Garfield, Wilson, Lincoln, Dacptach, Ford, Murchison, Gates, Ann Street. Belvedere and Lorena, Area administrator for eastside schools is Frank Armendariz, who has spent most of his teaching and administrative career on the eastside. He replaced John Leon, administrator for the past few years, this summer.