Jefferson High School student concerned about cuts



An email came in to the Intersections South LA account late last night from Jefferson High School student, who only wants to be known as Gerry L. with “urgently important” in the subject line. We reproduce here in its entirety.

To Whom It May Concern,

Hello, my name is Gerry L. and I attend Thomas Jefferson High School, located in the south Los Angeles area.

With the current weight of the economy, there have been severe cuts to education. Being a school under the Los Angeles Unified School District, and in a more infamous area of Los Angeles, it has hit our community harder. I am currently a senior on my way towards graduating and have spent most of my four years of high school involved with the music program, as a member of various musical ensembles. After being notified about the measures that will take place this upcoming school year, I could not sit around and do nothing while my school faces such critical times.

Currently as they stand, proposed measures include:
Elimination of school field trips
Reduction of AVID program to half its size
Reduction of more than half of AP courses offered
Reduction of full-time employed teachers
Elimination of College and Career counselor

The places where the cuts are being made are harmful, as they are resources many students rely on to get in touch with the world outside Los Angeles and succeed. I am hoping to bring this to your attention if it has not already been brought up. This Saturday, April 27th, there will be a meeting at the Julian Nava Middle School, located on 1420 East Adams Blvd., from 10 to 12, where many School Board members and City Counsel(sic) candidates will be attending to discuss issues in the community that need to be addressed. Some students and staff from Jefferson will be in attendance to place some attention on our situation.

I hope that by sending this message it will bring some light onto the matter and lead to others to become aware of the circumstances. I understand that the current situation of the system is in urgent need of repair and reform, but even if nothing works, it is still important to inform, educate, and enlighten the public about what is happening. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School still care for their school and what happens to it. Again, thank you for your time and patience in reading this letter.

Sincerely,
Gerry L.
Thomas Jefferson HS Senior

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