LAUSD approves additional $6 million for school complex

District officials said they need the additional money to fully open The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex by this fall.

The majority of the money will be used to satisfy environmental regulations, they said.

"This is a critical investment that came after 20 years of challenges to build a school in the mid-Wilshire district," said school board president Monica Garcia.

The campus will consist of six separate learning centers and enroll 4,260 students this fall, making the cost per seat about $135,000 - nearly 40 percent higher than the average school built in the central Los Angeles area over the past two years. Currently, two learning centers at the RFK complex are open.

Part of the high cost of the Kennedy schools is attributed to the public park that will be part of the campus, including a pool, soccer fields and a public art installation that includes a giant marble and granite Kennedy memorial wall. Kennedy was assassinated in the hotel's kitchen area as he campaigned for president in 1968.