LAUSD parents protest at district HQ amid plans to cut $10M

Furious parents are pushing back against Los Angeles Unified District as they try to stop the district from slashing millions of dollars in funding for dozens of charter schools.

It comes amid warnings the cuts could leave classrooms understaffed and put young students’ safety at risk.

Parents, teachers and students from 42 LAUSD-affiliated charter schools organized demonstrations across Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to oppose the elimination of a supplemental funding grant that supporters say pays for essential staff, student services and school programs.

The district plans to eliminate approximately $100 million in additional funding for the 42 schools, which serve nearly 25,000 students. The annual allocation has been described by organizers as roughly $10 million, though the precise funding figure remains unclear.

The protests began with morning rallies at 10 charter school campuses at 7:30 a.m. Parents and school communities are scheduled to gather outside LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at 2:30 p.m., followed by public comment before the Board of Education at 3:30 p.m.

At Riverside Drive Charter Elementary in Studio City, parents estimate the school could lose nearly $500,000 and at least 12 staff positions as a result of the proposed cuts.

Across the 42 affected schools, the funding reduction is equivalent to approximately 112 full-time positions.

Parents say the consequences could extend well beyond fewer teachers and classroom resources, raising concerns about whether schools will have enough adults to supervise children during recess and respond to emergencies.

“So who’s going to watch our kids at recess if there’s an emergency drill, whether it’s a fire drill, an earthquake, or a lockdown?” one parent told ABC7.

“We don’t have enough people in the yard to supervise our kids, and you’re asking me to send my 4-year-old to school? You promised that you would keep my kids safe and help them learn. So why is LAUSD cutting the funding?”

The funding dispute centers on a supplemental Charter Block Grant allocation that LAUSD has historically provided to 42 affiliated charter schools that began operating before the 2012-13 school year.

The schools are part of LAUSD and their employees are district employees, but affiliated charter campuses have greater flexibility than traditional district schools in how they operate their programs.

The additional funding was established after California ended its state Charter School Categorical Block Grant in 2013, with LAUSD subsequently providing money from its central district resources.

In a statement to The California Post, LAUSD said it was facing significant financial challenges stemming from declining enrollment, rising operating costs and the expiration of one-time federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Those pressures have contributed to a projected $3.6 billion deficit, according to the district.

“As outlined in the Board-approved Fiscal Stabilization Plan, the District must make difficult decisions and identify ways to reduce costs while maintaining financial stability and preserving local control,” LAUSD said.

District officials also defended the decision as an effort to make funding more consistent across its schools.

“Because this additional allocation was not provided to other affiliated charter schools or traditional District schools, the change brings greater consistency to how resources are allocated across the District,” the statement said.

The district acknowledged that the decision could have different consequences for individual campuses and said it understood families’ concerns about potential effects on staffing, services and programs.

However, LAUSD stressed that affiliated charter schools would continue receiving money through norm-based allocations and other applicable district programs.

The proposed reductions come as the nation’s second-largest school district grapples with declining enrollment and mounting budget pressures, forcing officials to identify savings across its sprawling network of campuses.

Parents opposing the cuts are now urging district leaders to reconsider before the funding changes affect the staff and services they say are essential to keeping their children safe and learning.

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