LAUSD's next budget: Will there be any way to stem pain to important programs?

When the Los Angeles Unified School Board voted in May to finalize the elimination of more than 650 jobs as part of a plan to cut spending, its leaders promised more painful decisions would be necessary.

On June 16, another of those painful decisions arrives, as the school board will consider a fiscal stabilization plan to address multiple years of deficit spending.

The most recent forecast predicts a $1.3 billion deficit in the 2027-28 school year and a $3.6 billion deficit in the 2028-29 school year. (California requires schools to plan budgets for three years at a time.)

Perhaps the two most prominent items on the chopping block involve signature equity programs: the Student Equity Needs Index, which ensures dollars flow to schools with greater perceived needs, and the Black Student Achievement Plan.

The proposed cuts to these programs, and others, would likely result in thousands of layoffs in the coming years.

In a board meeting on Friday, community members called attention to what they said was a major transgression on the horizon.

“We’ve heard this district talk repeatedly about standing for equity. This is an opportunity for you all to put your money where your mouth is … ,” said Joseph Williams of the advocacy group Students Deserve, who also sits on the steering committee for BSAP. “A budget is a moral document. Please stand with the most marginalized students in this district.”

School leaders say that without change, the district could deplete its budget reserves within a few years.

“Our fiscal stabilization efforts are designed to protect the district's ability to serve students today and in the years ahead,” said Acting Superintendent Andres Chait during a May board meeting.

What is a fiscal stabilization plan?

California law gives county school superintendents the power to intervene when districts are at risk of not meeting their financial obligations. One of these interventions is the creation of a “roadmap” to address a budget deficit, called a fiscal stabilization plan. The Los Angeles County Office of Education advises districts to show what factors are straining the budget and include strategies to reduce spending, increase revenue and temporarily spend reserves or one-time funding.

The board’s approval of the fiscal stabilization plan does not automatically enact all of the cuts the plan proposes. Actions such as eliminating jobs often require further board votes and the plan can be revised throughout the next year.

It’s also possible that additional state funding, including revenue from investments in AI, could offset some of the proposed cuts.

What is the Student Equity Needs Index?

The annual fund known as SENI is distributed to LAUSD schools based on several factors, including academic outcomes, rates of chronic absenteeism and the health and levels of violence in surrounding communities.

SENI debuted in 2018, offering school principals discretionary funding to target interventions toward students with the greatest needs. Originally $350 million, the board doubled SENI in 2021 while flush with COVID relief money — which is now gone.

“Reducing and eliminating SENI means fewer everything,” Griselda Perez, a mom of two current LAUSD students, told the board on June 12. “Counselors, tutors, less mental health and destruction of the progress that we fought for a decade ago.”

What is the Black Student Achievement Plan?

The Black Student Achievement Plan is a $125 million fund distributed primarily to schools that serve higher numbers of Black students. The LAUSD board voted to create BSAP in 2021 with the goal of closing gaps in academic outcomes between Black students and their peers.

Mariah Williams, a new graduate of San Pedro High School attending UCLA this fall, spoke to the board Friday in her graduation robe. She said she wanted the board to see what investment looks like.

“[Programs like BSAP] provide mentorship, advocacy, college readiness support, mental health support and opportunities that help students succeed,” she said, adding that when schools dismantle such programs, they advance an agenda that undermines efforts to improve outcomes for Black students.

What will the board decide at its June 16 meeting?

The board is slated to vote on a fiscal stabilization plan, and it will also take public comment on a separate budget measure and its Local Control and Accountability Plan. (The LCAP is a state-mandated plan that outlines how the district will support student success.)

What if I have something to say?

The board meets June 16 beginning at 9 a.m.