We enter the second half of the spring semester with great energy to continue our efforts to
improve our mission of providing a quality education for all students in the Compton Unified
School District.
At Compton High School we have completed work on facilities that will let us dramatically
increase the number of lunch lines available to students.
It is something students recently told us was a problem---and we worked hard to get it solved.
We have added several more lines that will enable all students to access lunch more efficiently,
thereby making lunch less hectic and more enjoyable for all students.
You may have noticed that three of the Compton High buildings were covered during the spring
break. Our friends at Dewey Pest Control have been helping us eradicate pests which had come
into the building when internal construction had to be halted. We did the work during the break
and the buildings are safe and healthy in compliance with state regulations.
Finally, because student and staff safety is a top priority, we added two security guards earlier
this year and have added three security gates to secure the campus as an additional safety
measure. These structural enhancements will further increase our efforts to make sure that
Compton students and employees who teach and serve, are provided with a more secure
campus.
Dominguez High School
Members of the Board and I met with students at Dominguez High School prior to the spring
break. They expressed concern over some issues they felt needed to be addressed by Dominguez
staff.
One of them was the cleanliness of the rest rooms. I personally supervised a site visit and found
that a number of rest rooms had been closed to the students. They are open now and will remain
that way. They also will remain cleaner because we won’t have so many students in so few rest
rooms.
The students also expressed concerns about security, and as was the case at Compton H.S. we
already have added security personnel. In addition, we are planning to quickly add cameras and
other security equipment at the school.
At Dominguez, the issue of long lunch lines was expressed. We already have been working
during the spring break to expand the number of lunch lines. Our director of nutrition services
has been advised to add additional workers to accommodate the need at your site.
We appreciated the dialogue with students and have already begun responding to many of the
issues shared with us. We will continue to work on the other area of concern.
Additional Resources For H.S. and Middle School Bands
Did you know that each high school’s band program has been increased $40,000 and each
middle school’s band has $20,000?
We need to do a better job of communicating with students to inform them of what is occurring
within the school district. While at Dominguez, there were some complaints about the lack of
investment in our music program. Not only is that mistaken, but our investment is the largest it
has ever been! While other school districts have cut and eliminated music programs we remain
committed to providing a quality music experience for all students that are interested in pursuing
this avenue.
We’ll do a better job of telling you these things in the weeks and months to come.
High School Athletic Uniforms
We’ve also budgeted $116,000 for athletic programs at all 3 high schools. Each school will
receive one third ($38,666). It is up to the school athletic director how that many is going to be
spent. I would encourage you to make sure your voice is heard on how these funds should be
spent to enhance the sports programs at your site.
If you are wondering why we invest in extracurricular activities like our music and athletic
programs, it is because when students participate in school activities they tend to do better in
school.
It’s another ingredient in the recipe we have for student success at Compton.
Welcome back.
Let’s make the rest of the year great!
Watch Compton High School Spring Break 2015 Projects Video
