Music billionaires Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to launch a new public high school in south LA
[June 14, 2021: Josh Shavit]
Rap icon Dr. Dre and music industry mogul Jimmy Iovine hated school — really hated school — which mpublic high school projectakes them an unlikely force behind a new in Los Angeles.
The two, both reportedly billionaires, said they would do and spend whatever is necessary to make the school, which will be in South L.A., successful and sought after — and a place that will motivate L.A. students to be critical thinkers, entrepreneurs and innovators. The move represents a rare investment by the entertainment elite in the nation’s second-largest school system, where more than 80% of students are Latino and Black and about the same number come from low-income families.
Iovine explained their vision for the school, which was approved last week by the LA Board of Education and is slated to open in fall 2022.
“It’s for kids who want to go out and start their own business or go to work somewhere… like Marvel, or Apple or companies like that,” he said.
Working successfully in these fields means breaking the silos between different jobs and skills – and disrupting familiar patterns with creativity and purpose, Iovine said.
“It’s far from being a music school,” he said.
Dr. Dre, born Andre Young, said he wants to reach “the inner-city kid, the younger me.” He added: “Here’s a place that you can go where there’s something that you can learn that you’re really interested in.”
The No.1 Regional High School, as it’s known for now, will be located at Audubon Middle School in Leimert Park, a long-standing black cultural center, but in a larger community where many black and Latino students had poor results.
The new school will be a “magnet,” meaning students can apply throughout the sprawling district. Transportation will be provided for people outside the local area. The school is one of 10 magnets educators approved last week.
The new school was approved last week by the L.A. Board of Education and is slated to open in fall 2022.
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