Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Community Advocates To Replace Police On LAUSD Campuses
FILE PHOTO: LAUSD school police outside Mark Twain Middle School in Los Angeles. (Brian Watt / KPCC)
()
The Los Angeles Unified School Board voted unanimously yesterday to remove police from school campuses. Those officers will be replaced with staff trained to de-escalate disputes. It's a major overhaul of the school's police department.
The board agreed to cut the school police department's annual budget by $25 million last summer, after the widespread protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
But the Board hadn't decided how to reinvest the money until now. The $25 million dwill go toward a 36.5 million dollar Black student achievement plan also approved by the district Tuesday.
It includes funding for counselors, psychiatric social workers, curriculum changes and community partnerships.
Support for LAist comes from
Isaac Bryan is executive director of the UCLA Black Policy Project and a member of the LAUSD task force that was convened to think about how to reinvest the money cut from the school police budget.
"LAUSD has taken a step forward, an incredible important step forward driven by community organizing," he told LAist/KPCC. "But the fact that there's still such a robust school police presence, even on the outside of campus, I think leaves room for us to continue to think about how we could reinvest additional dollars down the road."
Kahlila Williams, a senior at the Girls Academic Leadership Academy and member of student advocacy group Students Deserve Justice, was one of the callers during the public comment period of the Board meeting. She said:
"This $25 million reallocation is just the first step towards repair repairing the psychological, emotional, academic and physical harm caused by the system of school policing."
The board's plan also cuts 133 positions from the school police department.
In a statement, the School Police Department expressed concerns about "unintended consequences" of the policy changes.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
UCLA and University of California leaders are fighting Trump’s demands for a $1.2 billion settlement over a litany of accusations, including that the campus permits antisemitism. -
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research. -
Some submissions to the Pasadena Humane Society were made by extremely talented artists. The others … tried their best. -
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings.
Best of LAist