Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published December 16, 2024 5:00 AM
What is the LAUSD school board and how do I put them to work for me?
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Olivia Hughes
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LAist
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Topline:
Voters elected two new Los Angeles Unified board members and returned two incumbents to their seats in November. Now it’s time to hold them accountable.
Why it matters: More than 538,000 students attend traditional public and charter schools in Los Angeles Unified. The district is also the county’s second largest employer with more than 74,000 educators, administrators, and support staff on its payroll.
The board:
Hires, fires and evaluates the superintendent. While the school board sets policy, the superintendent manages day-to-day LAUSD operations. The current superintendent is Alberto Carvalho.
A recent decision: The board voted 5-2 in June to ban student cellphone and social media use during the school day amid rising concerns about the impact of the technologies on youth mental health. The new restrictions take effect in February.
More than half a million students attend traditional public and charter schools in Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest district in the nation. LAUSD runs the schools in several other cities in L.A. County, too, such as West Hollywood and South Gate.
The district is also the county’s second largest employer with more than 74,000 educators, administrators, and support staff on its payroll.
LAUSD doesn't fit neatly into "city" or "county" categories. Although it's enshrined in the L.A. City Charter, LAUSD operates independently of City Hall. That's why you elect school board members directly. That also makes L.A. the largest city in the country in which the mayor has no direct control over the school board.
What can the school board do?
School board members have a lot of power. Among other things, school board members:
Hire, fire and evaluate the superintendent — their single most important responsibility. While the school board sets policy, the superintendent manages day-to-day LAUSD operations. The current superintendent is Alberto Carvalho, who led Miami-Dade County Public Schools before coming to L.A. in 2021.
Early learning and care: Every 4-year-old in California is now eligible for free pre-kindergarten classes, or transitional kindergarten (also known as TK). Los Angeles Unified has acted fast on the state’s mandate.
Student cellphone ban: The board voted in June 2024 to ban student cellphone and social media use during the school day amid rising concerns about the impact of the technologies on youth mental health. The new restrictions took effect in February, with students and educators reporting mixed results.
Advocating for immigrant and LGBTQ+ students: In August, the school district announced a slew of additional protections for immigrant students, and had previously announced more protections for LGBTQ+ staff, and families of students, as a response to the Donald Trump administration.
School Game Plan
Enter your email to follow School Game Plan and learn how to navigate and get involved in your child’s education.
How much money do school board members make?
A committee appointed by local politicians sets the salary and benefits for LAUSD board members.
As of July 2024, LAUSD school board members receive:
$51,510 if they have another source of employment income.
$128,775 if they do not have another source of employment income.
These salaries increase 1% annually through July 2027.
Before 2017, the board’s pay was based on starting teacher salaries at the time, about $45,000 a year.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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When do I want to bring something to the board’s attention?
San Fernando Valley mom Roxann Nazario has spent years advocating for her children’s education and on behalf of others in the community.
She said the first person to talk to about your child’s education is their teacher, but if you don’t feel like your question or problem is being addressed, reach out to the principal and other school staff. Then try the regional superintendents — find your region here and the contact information for who’s in charge here.
“There's a chain of command and you have to work your way all the way up,” Nazario said.
To contact the board member who represents your local school or neighborhood (more on how to find them below), you’ll likely first speak to someone who works for their office.
While there’s no guarantee that a board member can or will solve the problem at your individual school, board members LAist has interviewed often pride themselves on listening to and intervening at the local level.
If your goal is to draw wider public attention to an issue — or success — at your child’s school, you might consider attending a board meeting.
The board also has several committees. These meetings are an opportunity to learn more about specific topics and weigh in on policy development, but major decisions must be voted on by the full board.
This includes all board members and often previews upcoming policy decisions
Don’t miss a meeting
You can sign up to have board meeting agendas and other district news emailed directly.
There is an opportunity to speak directly to the board, and whoever may be watching the meeting, during public comment.
Nazario suggests you watch the livestream of a meeting or attend one in person to familiarize yourself with the order of business.
Speakers must pre-register and can comment by phone or in person. They are generally limited to two minutes.
“Don't be afraid to be emotional,” Nazario said. “Don't be afraid to stumble over your words. Like that just shows that you're human and you're not scripted… . You're a real parent just giving your story.”
While board members typically don’t answer questions or respond in the moment, they can dispatch members of their staff to meet with you about your comment. Speaking publicly can also help connect you to other parents, educators and journalists who may report on what you’ve shared.
Hear it from a parent
This summer middle school parent Lyra Kilston read an LAist story about the possibility of a student cellphone ban in LAUSD.
“Phones and social media and mental health and all of that stuff is almost an obsessive topic for certain parents with kids this age,” Kilston said. ”I felt kind of galvanized by the fact that this was being discussed.”
For the first time, she signed up to speak during public comment to express her support for the ban.
“It kind of felt like most of the board members' minds had probably been made up before they came to that meeting,” Kilston said. “But it still felt valuable to be contributing to the conversation.”
Kilston said the experience also helped her better understand who leads the district.
“Seeing all of these people in the process of doing their job made it more real to me,” Kilston said.
Her message for other parents?
“ It was a lot easier than I would have thought to actually voice my opinion to the board.”
Who is on the school board?
Board members are elected to four-year terms (with a maximum of three full terms), and represent different geographical areas.
The board also streams its meetings online, and offers American Sign Language and Spanish interpretation.
Community members can also request interpretation in other languages by contacting the Board Secretariat at secretariat@lausd.net or (213) 241-7002.
Parking in downtown L.A. can be an adventure. We made a map, below, of district-sanctioned and unofficial lots in the area. There are also designated areas to drop people off on Beaudry Avenue and Boylston Street.
What challenges does the district face?
Learning loss: The COVID-19 pandemic erased years of progress in reading, writing, and math skills. LAUSD students made small gains on California's standardized math test last year, but the majority of students do not meet benchmark scores for any subject. Among the most vocal parents are those of students with disabilities, who say schools failed to meet their children’s needs during distance learning.
Enrollment: Twenty years ago, Los Angeles Unified schools were badly overcrowded. Now, LAUSD faces the opposite problem. The district’s enrollment declined for two decades before lurching downward at the start of the pandemic. California uses enrollment to set school funding levels, so declining enrollment means declining funding.
Chronic absenteeism: Nearly a quarter of LAUSD students missed close to a month or more of school in the 2023-24 school year. While the rate of chronic absenteeism has declined from earlier pandemic highs, Black, Native American, Latino, and Pacific Islander students miss more school than their peers. A lack of transportation, access to health care, and feeling of safety could all play a role. Without consistent attendance, students lose valuable opportunities to learn, and the district loses funding that could bolster classrooms with additional resources.
Mental health: In various surveys and reporting, many students say their mental health suffered far more than their transcripts during the pandemic, and schools have struggled to hire enough school counselors and social workers. The school board will have to figure out how to maintain and grow mental health support for students.
School safety: The board agreed to cut the school police department's annual budget by $25 million (35%) in the summer of 2020, after the widespread protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It redirected that money into the Black Student Achievement Plan that includes funding for counselors, social workers, curriculum changes, and community partnerships. Advocates say more than two years after the plan launched, funding is lagging and resources have not been distributed equally among all schools. This year also includes additional concerns about the threat of federal immigration enforcement actions on or near campuses.
Green schools: The majority of LAUSD schools lack cool, shaded places for students to play and learn outdoors. The yards of about 600 schools have less than 30% “green” space according to district documents. The district has allocated tens of millions of dollars to cool campuses in recent years and estimates it could cost up to $3 billion and take decades, to reach its greening goals.
What if my child attends a charter school?
Charter School 101
Who’s in charge? An independent nonprofit organization with an un-elected board. Some charter schools are affiliated with public districts.
Who funds them? Taxpayers. Charter schools are publicly funded.
Is there tuition? No.
What makes them different from regular public schools? Charter schools are exempt from many laws that govern public education.
The LAUSD board’s influence on charter schools varies and in many cases, charters have boards separate from the district.
Affiliated charter schools are those operated by the district and the LAUSD board’s decisions influence their operations in a similar way to a traditional public school.
Independent charter schools are run by a separate, nonprofit organization. And day-to-day operations are overseen by a separate board, often appointed by the school’s founders or nonprofit leaders.
They might decide on everything from curriculum to hiring and student discipline.
“ The district doesn't generally have any control over any of those local decisions, provided that those decisions are not unlawful or discriminatory,” said Ricardo Soto, chief advocacy officer and general counsel for the California Charter Schools Association.
Charter school operators oversee a much smaller staff and student body than many public school districts.
“It's much more accessible for parents or for guardians of children to attend those board meetings and to get involved," Soto said. “Charter schools are really dependent on their school communities for anything to happen.”
Find out who is on the board, when they meet and how to contact them on your school’s website or by asking your child’s teacher.
An aerial view of snow-capped trees after a winter snowstorm near Soda Springs on Feb. 20, 2026.
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Stephen Lam, San Francisco Chronicle
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via Getty Images
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Topline:
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season. It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
What happened? Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
Why it matters: Experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains. State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs. “I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.
It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.
Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.
But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.
On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.
“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”
Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.
“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.
“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”
‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’
In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.
“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”
Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.
“That means we can get more work done,” he said.
It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.
Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.
“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”
‘A haystack fire’
Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.
Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”
“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.
Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.
But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.
How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.
“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”
What we know: The city is in the very early stages of planning how to transform the 192 acres into a park. The preliminary report shows some potential amenities of the park, such as gardens, biking trails, art galleries, a community center and much more.
Background: After a long legal battle between the city and the Federal Aviation Administration, a settlement was reached that ruled that the city could close the more than 100-year-old airport. The park was controversial among residents because of air quality and noise concerns, and was the subject of many legal battles in recent decades.
What’s next? The city wants to hear from residents. You’re encouraged to review the framework and fill out this survey. Feedback will be accepted until April 26.
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Elly Yu
typically reports on early childhood issues and from time to time other general news.
Published April 1, 2026 1:41 PM
Thousands of immigrants, including refugees and asylees, in California are set to lose their food assistance benefits, known as CalFresh, starting this month.
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Brandon Bell
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Thousands of immigrants who are lawfully in California are set to lose their food assistance benefits, known as CalFresh, starting this month.
What’s new: The changes apply to certain immigrants who are here lawfully, including refugees and asylees. It also applies to people from Iraq and Afghanistan who have special visas for helping the U.S. military overseas.
Why now: The new restrictions stem from H.R. 1 — also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill” — which Congress passed last year.
What’s next: Officials estimate 23,000 people in Los Angeles County will be affected. State officials say noncitizens who are currently receiving benefits will continue to get them until it’s time to renew their benefits — adding that people might be able to receive benefits again if their legal status changes to lawful permanent residents.
Thousands of immigrants who are lawfully in California are set to lose their food assistance benefits, known as CalFresh, starting this month.
The new restrictions stem from H.R. 1 — also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill” — which Congress passed last year.
The changes remove eligibility for certain noncitizens, including people with refugee status and victims of trafficking. It also applies to immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan who have special immigrant visas for helping the U.S. government overseas.
”These are folks … many of whom have large families that we have a commitment to as a country because we welcomed them and invited them here to find a place of refuge,” said Cambria Tortorelli, president of the International Institute of Los Angeles, a refugee resettlement agency. “They’re authorized to work and they’ve been brought here by the U.S. government.”
The federal spending bill, H.R. 1, made sweeping cuts to social safety net programs, including food assistance and Medicaid. In signing the bill, President Donald Trump said the changes were delivering on his campaign promises of “America first.”
Officials estimate 23,000 people in Los Angeles County will be affected. The state estimates about 72,000 immigrants with lawful presence will be affected across California.
CalFresh is the state’s version of the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Undocumented immigrants have not been eligible to receive CalFresh benefits.
State officials say noncitizens who are currently receiving benefits will continue to get them until it’s time to renew their benefits — adding that people might be able to receive benefits again if their legal status changes to lawful permanent residents.
Who the changes apply to:
Asylees
Refugees
Parolees (unless they are Cuban and Haitian entrants)
Individuals with deportation or removal withheld
Conditional entrants
Victims of trafficking
Battered noncitizens
Iraqi or Afghan with special immigrant visas (SIV) who are not lawful permanent residents (LPR)
Certain Afghan Nationals granted parole between July 31, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2023
Certain Ukrainian Nationals granted parole between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sep. 30, 2024
Nearly every student in the California State University system has used artificial intelligence tools, but most don’t trust the results, are worried about how AI will affect their future job security and want more say in systemwide AI policy.
CSU AI survey: CSU polled more than 94,000 students, faculty and staff, making it the largest survey of AI perception in higher education. Nearly all students have used AI but most question whether it is trustworthy. Both faculty and students want more say in systemwide AI policies. Faculty are divided about the impact of AI on teaching and research.
The results: Educators want a say in how and which AI tools are used. Students across the CSU system want to be included in those discussions. Some professors teach students how to use AI and encourage students to use it, while others forbid its use in the classroom. In addition to clarity around use of AI policies, students in this year’s survey said they want training that will be relevant to their careers. “I want to learn AI tools that are actually used in my industry, not just generic chatbots,” a mechanical engineering student responded. “Show me what engineers are actually doing with AI on the job.”
Nearly every student in the California State University system has used artificial intelligence tools, but most don’t trust the results, are worried about how AI will affect their future job security and want more say in systemwide AI policy.
That’s according to results of a 2025 survey of more than 80,000 students enrolled at CSU’s 22 campuses, plus faculty and staff — the largest and most comprehensive study of how higher education students and instructors perceive artificial intelligence.
Nationwide, university faculty struggle to reconcile the learning benefits of AI — hailed as a “transformative tool” for providing tutoring and personalized support to students — and the risks that students will depend on AI agents to do their thinking for them and, very possibly, get the wrong information. Educators want a say in how and which AI tools are used. Students across the CSU system want to be included in those discussions.
Some professors teach students how to use AI and encourage students to use it, while others forbid its use in the classroom, said Katie Karroum, vice president of systemwide affairs for the Cal State Student Association, representing more than 470,000 students.
“Both of these things are allowed to coexist right now without a policy,” she said.
Karroum said that faculty practices are too varied and that what students need are consistent and transparent rules developed in collaboration with students. “There are going to be students who are graduating with AI literacy and some that graduate without AI literacy.”
In February 2025, the CSU system announced an initiative to adopt AI technologies and an agreement with OpenAI to make ChatGPT available throughout the system. The system-wide survey released Wednesday confirms that ChatGPT is the most used AI tool across CSUs. The system will also work with Adobe, Google, IBM, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft and NVIDIA.
Campus leaders say the survey and accompanying dashboard provide much needed data on how the system continues to integrate AI into instruction and assessment.
“We need to have data to make data-informed decisions instead of just going by anecdote,” said Elisa Sobo, a professor of anthropology at San Diego State who was involved in interpreting the survey’s findings. “We have data that show high use, but we also have high levels of concern, very valid concern, to help people be responsible when they use it.”
Faculty at San Diego State designed the survey, which received more than 94,000 responses from students, faculty and staff. Among all responding CSU students, 95% reported using an AI tool; 84% said they used ChatGPT and 82% worry that AI will negatively impact their future job security. Others worry that they won’t be competitive if they don’t understand AI well enough.
“Even though I don’t want to use it, I HAVE TO!” wrote a computer science major. “Because if I don’t, then I’ll be left behind, and that is the last thing someone would want in this stupid job market.”
Faculty are divided about the impact of AI on teaching and research. Just over 55% reported a positive benefit, while 52% said AI has had a negative impact so far.
San Diego State conducted its first campuswide survey in 2023 in response to complaints from students about inconsistent rules about AI use in courses, said James Frazee, vice president for information technology at the campus.
“Students are facing this patchwork of expectations even within the same course taught by different instructors,” Frazee said. In one introductory course, the professor might encourage students to use AI, but another professor teaching the same course might forbid it, he said. “It was a hot mess.”
In that 2023 survey, one student made this request: “Please just tell us what to do and be clear about it.”
Following that survey, the San Diego State Academic Senate approved guidelines for the use of generative AI in instruction and assessments. In 2025, the Senate made it mandatory that faculty include language about AI use in course syllabi.
“It doesn’t say what your disposition has to be, whether it’s pro or con,” Frazee said. “It just says you have to be clear about your expectations. Without the 2023 survey data, that never would have happened.”
According to the 2025 systemwide survey, only 68% of teaching faculty include language about AI use in their syllabi.
Sobo and other faculty who helped develop the 2025 survey hope other CSU campuses will find the data helpful in informing policies about AI use. The dashboard allows users to search for specific campus and discipline data and view student responses by demographic group.
The 2025 survey shows that first-generation students are more interested in formal AI training and that Black, Hispanic and Latino students are more interested than white students. At San Diego State, students are required to earn a micro-credential in AI use during their first year — another change that was made after the 2023 survey.
Students in this year’s survey said they want training that will be relevant to their careers. “I want to learn AI tools that are actually used in my industry, not just generic chatbots,” a mechanical engineering student responded. “Show me what engineers are actually doing with AI on the job.”
The California Faculty Association, which represents about 29,000 educators in the CSU system, said in a February statement that faculty should be included in future systemwide decisions about AI, including whether the contract with OpenAI should be renewed in July.
“CFA members continue to advocate for ethical and enforceable safeguards governing the use of artificial intelligence,” the CFA said in the statement, asking for “protections for using or refusing to use the technology, professional development resources to adapt pedagogy to incorporate the technology, and further protections for faculty intellectual property.”
EdSource is an independent nonprofit organization that provides analysis on key education issues facing California and the nation. LAist republishes articles from EdSource with permission.
