FAMILIES RALLY IN EAGLE ROCK TO RESTORE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS SLATED FOR ELIMINATION

By Vanessa Romo - Pass / Fail : | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/LHwFCK

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A rally was held outside Dahlia Heights Elementary School in Eagle Rock on Friday to call for saving after-school programs that are on the chopping block.

LAUSD member Bennett Kayser organized a rally outside Dahlia Heights Elementary School in Eagle Rock on Friday to call for saving after-school programs that are on the chopping block.

By now we know that L.A. Unified is facing a colossal budget crisis. The latest victim of district-wide cuts is Beyond the Bell, a combination of after-school programs that serve about 14,000 K-8 students.

That means that when the new school year starts in mid-August, no more after-school tutoring or dance classes. Kids will also have to be picked up 10 minutes after class lets out.

For parents like Suray Carillo, who relies on an after-school youth development program for her two daughters, it’s a scary prospect.

"Oh my God, it’s an amazing help for me because I work retail so my jobs vary all the time," said Carillo. "So it really helps me because I don’t have anybody to watch them right after school."

If the district moves forward with the cuts, 85 campuses would be stripped of their after-school services. That would save LAUSD about $6.9 million.