LAUSD budget shrinks, but continues salary increases, class size reductions

The Los Angeles Unified School District board unanimously approved an $18.4 billion budget Tuesday that avoids layoffs and continues to fund raises and class size reductions despite the expiration of billions in federal pandemic relief funding.

What are the highlights?

• $1.8 billion for educator and support staff raises guaranteed after the 2023 strike. 
• $95 million to reduce class sizes by one student, another agreement from the teachers union’s contract with the district. 
• $125 million to continue funding the Black Student Achievement Plan, which brings additional resources to more than 100 campuses with large populations of Black students. 
• $216 million for arts funding— this includes $30 million added after California labor leaders and parents called out the district for allegedly misspending new state funding for arts education. 
• $50 million to restore hours for school support staff.  

What's important about the final budget?

When Los Angeles Unified initially cut money from individual school budgets, campus aides and other classified staff reported their hours were reduced. The final budget restored much of the so-called “carryover” funding, though at Tuesday’s meeting, parents and education advocates implored the district to restore all of the school's unspent budget for use in the following year.

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SEIU Local 99 President Conrado Guerrero called the move a positive step, but said “the district needs to do more to address the serious staffing shortages.” The 2024-25 budget is about 2% smaller than the previous year’s $18.8 million spending plan.

Batten down the hatches?

Dozens of California school districts issued layoff notices to teachers this spring, citing the loss of federal pandemic relief funding and declining enrollment.

“We believe we are well positioned to withstand the financial pressures of this moment and will do so without sacrificing student or employee success,” said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho in a statement last week. California lawmakers and the governor will largely preserve K-12 education funding in next year’s budget.

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