News Summary
The LAUSD board has approved an $18.4 billion budget aimed at avoiding layoffs and continuing investment in education despite declining student enrollment. The budget reinstated crucial carryover funding and is slightly smaller than the previous year. With a significant drop in student numbers over the last two decades, the district faces serious financial challenges. Superintendent Carvalho stresses the importance of maintaining staff and educational programs even as enrollment continues to decline across various demographics. Community schools are seen as vital to providing additional services amidst these ongoing issues.
Los Angeles – The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board has approved a budget of $18.4 billion, establishing a financial framework designed to prevent layoffs and continue investments in raises and classroom size reductions amidst a backdrop of declining student enrollment and the cessation of federal pandemic relief funds.
The board’s unanimous decision also reinstated much of the previously cut “carryover” funding, which had been essential for individual school budgets. The current budget is roughly 2% smaller than the $18.8 billion budget from the previous year. This decision comes as school districts across California are grappling with financial distress, leading many to issue layoff notices for teachers, driven by the loss of federal pandemic funding and dwindling student registrations.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho emphasized that LAUSD is strategically positioned to handle the financial challenges without compromising the success of students or staff. Despite the funding challenges, the district has committed to maintaining its staff and funding essential educational programs.
LAUSD has recorded a significant decline in student enrollment over the years, losing 27% of its student body in the last decade and 44% over the past 20 years. This sharp decrease has not aligned with a comparable reduction in the number of campuses or staff. A local nonprofit study highlighted that reduced student numbers have led to decreased state and federal funding, which consequently limits staffing and the availability of educational programs. Major enrollment losses have been observed, with over 300,000 students departing since the peak enrollment 23 years ago, yet the reduction in the number of operating schools has been less than 5%.
The report brought attention to particular areas that require more educational resources but suffer from poor attendance, stressing the need for targeted support. In response to the enrollment crisis, LAUSD plans to implement measures such as closing underutilized school facilities while ensuring that others remain operational.
There has been a notable decrease in enrollment across all racial demographics. Latino students have seen the largest decline, losing over 114,300 students—approximately 28%—in the last 11 years. White student numbers dropped by about 13,000 (24%), while Black students declined by 40%, and Asian student enrollment decreased by 34%. The combination of rising living costs in Los Angeles, a decline in birth rates, and decreasing immigration levels have significantly influenced this trend.
Meanwhile, schools have experienced disparate enrollment changes; for example, Porter Ranch Elementary faces crowding issues, contrasting sharply with other institutions struggling with low registration. This disparity emphasizes the complexity and variability of student numbers across the district.
Despite the overall cuts in funding, there are increasing calls from parents and education advocates for a restoration of all unspent budget funding, allowing for its use in the following year. It has been noted that staffing reductions occurred in critical areas such as psychiatric social work, even as student needs intensified, highlighting a precarious balance the district must strike between financial constraints and exemplary educational services.
In light of these issues, community schools are underlined as vital entities, providing additional services to meet the comprehensive needs of families within the community. As LAUSD navigates through these fiscal challenges, continued advocacy for supportive measures, including potentially restructuring state funding to be based on enrollment rather than attendance, becomes crucial to fostering educational equity across the district.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
Southern California School Districts Secure Bond Funding for Facilities
Philadelphia School Board Addresses Transportation Cuts and Charter School Closures
Declining Public School Enrollment Challenges West Virginia
District 65 Considers School Closures Amid Financial Struggles
California Supreme Court Rules Against LAUSD Charter Policy
Back-to-School Preparations Begin Early Amid Challenges
Los Angeles County Offers Support for Back-to-School Supplies
Santa Rosa Schools Start Year Without Resource Officers
Lincoln County Schools Delay Start Date Due to Renovations
Lee County Implements Safe Start Initiative for Schools
Additional Resources
- Los Angeles Times: Fewer Students, Few School Closures
- Wikipedia: Los Angeles Unified School District
- Daily News: LAUSD Board Budget Priorities
- Google Search: Los Angeles Unified School District
- NBC Los Angeles: LAUSD New School Year Budget Cuts
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Education in the United States
Author: STAFF HERE LOS ANGELES WRITER
LOS ANGELES STAFF WRITER The LOS ANGELES STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERELosAngeles.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and beyond, specializing in "news you can use" with coverage of product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates, while delivering top reporting on high-value events like the Academy Awards, LA Auto Show, and Los Angeles Marathon, extending coverage to key organizations such as the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, plus leading businesses in entertainment and technology like Warner Bros. and SpaceX, and as part of the broader HERE network including HEREAnaheim.com , HERECostaMesa.com , HEREHuntingtonBeach.com , and HERESantaAna.com , providing comprehensive, credible insights into Southern California's dynamic landscape. HERE Anaheim HERE Beverly Hills HERE Coronado HERE Costa Mesa HERE Hollywood HERE Huntington Beach HERE Long Beach HERE Los Angeles HERE Mission Viejo HERE San Diego HERE Santa Ana
