Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 21, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON SEED SCHOOL OF LOS ANGELES (TRANSPORTATION SCHOOL) AND E3 INITIATIVE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on the SEED School of Los Angeles (Transportation School) and E3 Initiative.
Background
BACKGROUND
At its April 2017 meeting, the Metro Board approved a Motion by Directors Ridley-Thomas, Fasana, Garcetti, Barger, Garcia, and Dupont-Walker directing the CEO to develop a framework for a pilot educational and job training program, specifically, though not exclusively, targeting at-risk probation youth who had exposure to the County’s safety net and who had historically been under-served educationally.
At its June 2017 meeting, the Metro Board received and filed the proposed framework for a pilot educational and job training program with the objective of facilitating career pathways for local youth in Los Angeles County’s transportation sector.
At the May 2018 meeting, the Metro Board approved Metro to negotiate and enter into an MOU with the County for the development of the SEED School of Los Angeles (Transportation School). At its June 2018 meeting, the LA County Board of Supervisors authorized an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with the SEED Foundation to serve as the boarding school operator for a site in the County’s possession on the 8500 block of South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles.
At the September 2018 meeting, the Metro Board approved $1M for the predevelopment activities associated with the school site.
At the October 2018 meeting, the Metro Board approved the programming of up to $2.875 Million in FY21, $3.631 Million in FY22, $4.494 Million in FY23, and $5 Million annually from FY24 through FY35 (cumulatively, up to $71 Million over 15 Fiscal Years), to support the operations of Los Angeles County’s first transportation infrastructure school.
The development of the SEED School of Los Angeles (Transportation School) made evident the imperative and opportunity for Metro to simultaneously address two significant needs; skill development for the industry, and career education for LA County youth. In response, Metro established the Expose, Educate, and Employ Youth Initiative (E3) in May 2018. The E3 Initiative broadens Metro’s connections with the future workforce by expanding school tours, providing teacher education about careers in transportation and expanding internships and summer camp models to connect youth from throughout the County with the transportation infrastructure industry.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The E3 Initiative aligns youth educational development programs with Metro’s workforce demands. The goal for year one is to expose and educate 100 teachers and 10,000 students to careers in transportation. As of January 15, 2019, a total of 63 teachers and 6,426 students have been impacted by E3 Initiative efforts. This is being accomplished through a two-pronged approach including and emphasis on Student Engagement and Teacher Professional Development.
Student Engagement
New Blue Improvements Project & Metro Youth Career Experience
Beginning January 2019, the Blue Line will undergo a comprehensive eight-month modernization program to improve reliability and resiliency, enhance safety, and extend the service life of the Blue Line. In addition to track work, train control, and overhead power improvements, there will be significant improvements to the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station. Collectively known as the New Blue Improvements Project, this $350 million construction project will modernize the Blue Line and bring it into a state of good repair. The E3 Initiative in collaboration with Program Management is piloting the Metro Youth Career Experience to accomplish the following:
• Provide a platform for students to start a conversation with peers, teachers and mentors about perusing a potential career in transportation infrastructure.
• Expose students to the development stages and strategies involved in a capital improvement project affecting their local community
• Educate students to the career paths that exist within the global transportation infrastructure industry, specifically at Metro
The program will be piloted on January 31, 2019, with 9th grade students from Compton High School, in the Compton Unified School district. Students with a 2.0 to 2.5 grade point average, who have not declared a Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway, are targeted for this opportunity. The Youth Career Experience consists of 5, seven-hour modules for up to 125 students that include: Build-a-Station; Scenarios in Rail Operations; Creating and Implementing Communications Tactics; Train Control Model; and Construction and Infrastructure Project Management. Personnel from Program Management, Communications, Safety-ORI, Operations, Maintenance of Way, Rail Engineering, Systems Engineering (IT component), Security, Bus Operations, and other Metro departments will be involved.
LA County Probation Department Tour for Students
Partnering with the LA County Probation Department Educational Services, Metro hosted students, teachers, and staff from the Dorothy Kirby Center, on November 14, 2018. The group visited Divisions 13 and 20, and toured the Central Maintenance Facility. A panel of Metro staff shared their professional experiences as part of a career panel provided during lunch. Following the tour, Metro staff was invited to participate in the Career Day hosted at the Center on December 7, 2018. Four staff members from the E3 Initiative and Rail Operations participated in the event, which included speaking in four different classrooms. Students and staff from the Afflerbaugh and Paige Camp are scheduled to visit on February 20, 2019, and will follow the established schedule. E3 Initiative staff has also been asked to share information with students in Juvenile Hall.
Teacher Professional Development Programs
Educator Exchange and Tour Pilot
In October 2018, the E3 Initiative launched the pilot of the Educator Exchange and Tour Program, to engage teachers and educational administrators in a one-day learning experience. The tour includes Metro headquarters, Divisions 13 and 20, and the Central Maintenance Facility, and concludes with a panel of Metro professionals from diverse departments sharing about the breadth of career opportunities within the agency. As of December 31, 2018, thirty-five schools have been involved, including 50 teachers, representing 5,304 students. The goal is to expose 10,000 students to careers within the industry by June 30, 2019. Offerings between January and May 2019 will continue in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and LA County Office of Probation; and have expanded to include tours for the Faith Leaders Roundtable, Charter Schools, and Private Schools.
Teacher Externship
Metro’s teacher externship program is designed to educate LA County middle and high school teachers on careers in the transportation infrastructure industry, in an effort to expose youth to employment options. Teachers will develop project-based learning opportunities for implementation within their curriculum during the fall 2019 semester. This program is being piloted in the summer of 2019, from June 17, 2019 through July 25, 2019.
The externship will cover: an overview of the transportation infrastructure industry; visits to Metro sites including Bus and Rail Operation Centers; Rail Safety Training; Environmental Sustainability classes; Project-based Learning Instruction; and Hands-on training within an assigned Metro department(s).
A minimum of three site visits will be incorporated into the six-week training, which will include using the Metro system, both bus and rail, to visit construction sites and divisions. During the final week, teachers, in collaboration with their assigned Metro department(s), will showcase the project-based learning plan in a symposium for Metro leadership and school administrators.
Teachers will be compensated as temporary Metro employees and will be classified as Talent Development Specialist at a pay rate of $34.19 per hour, for 24 hours per week during the 6 week externship, and 12 hours between September and December 2019.
Ten teachers will be selected, including two from each Los Angeles County Board Supervisor District. Successful candidates will meet the following criteria:
Preferred Qualifications:
• Clear credential in good standing
• Confirmed full-time teaching assignment for fall 2019 at a middle school or high school within LA County
• Principal recommendation from fall 2019 assignment
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree-Business Administration, Communications, Education, Organizational Development, or other related field
• 2 years’ experience developing, facilitating, and evaluating training or instructional programs
Information is available at metro.net/e3initiative. Applications are due by March 15, 2019 with selected candidates to be notified by May 1, 2019.
Transportation School Update
Pre-Development Activities and the Transit Plaza
The 4.2 acres of land on the 8400 and 8500 blocks of Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles will be utilized for the development of the Vermont and Manchester Transit Priority Joint Development Project.
As described above, Metro has taken numerous steps to support predevelopment activities and the ongoing costs of operating the SEED School of Los Angeles (Transportation School). On February 19, 2019, the Board of Supervisors is anticipated to consider committing funding to match Metro’s commitment to support the ongoing operating costs, along with a ground lease, development agreement, and other related legal documents. The SEED team is currently focusing on design and other predevelopment activities.
In addition to the SEED School of Los Angeles (Transportation School), the Project consists of a six-story mixed-use affordable housing and community serving/commercial retail building, an open transit plaza, a parking lot, and a job training center focused on preparing adults for careers within the transportation sector (training center).
Over the past few months, Metro has been working with the development team to programmatically design the proposed training center based on Metro’s analysis of needs and opportunities in coordination with the Workforce Initiative Now program. Metro has determined that a 15,000 square foot Training Center, which includes classrooms, learning labs and meeting spaces. The Learning Center will also provide training to enhance the success of potential candidates for employment opportunities. The facility will also be utilized to support the training and professional development of existing employees. There are approximately 700 Metro employees who live within a two mile radius of the Vermont/Manchester site who could benefit from these opportunities.
Staff from Construction Management and Human Capital and Development consulted internal and external constituent groups for input regarding the possible usage of the space and design considerations. This cross-department collaboration included visits to local training centers with innovative technology and architecture as plans are being developed.
Continued Collaboration and Support
The collaboration and support of internal and external partners have facilitated the success of the E3 Initiative in its inaugural year. Working Groups meet bi-monthly to maintain input and engagement of stakeholders throughout LA County. Examples of external stakeholder partners include: the Los Angeles Unified School District; the Los Angeles County Office of Education; Los Angeles Trade Technical College; East Los Angeles College; Los Angeles County Probation Department; and the Los Angeles World Airports.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Recommendation supports strategic plan Goal #3 (Enhance Communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity) - Initiative #3.1 (To lift up local communities, Metro will create jobs and career pathways in transportation). As part of the E3 Initiative, Metro is developing a transportation focused school curriculum to extend the career pipeline to high school students to cultivate the transportation infrastructure workforce of the future. The high school will complement the E3 Initiative by connecting school-age children throughout the County with the opportunity-rich industry of transportation infrastructure.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Joanne Peterson, Chief Human Capital & Development Officer (213) 418-3088
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Phillip A. Washington, Chief Executive Officer
(213) 922-7555
