The Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday unanimously approved an $18.4 billion spending plan for the next school year that is a smaller budget than last year but maintains large reserves, preserves essential programs and avoids layoffs.
The new budget is about $600 million less than last year’s approved $19 billion spending plan.
For parents and staff, the big picture is that school services and staffing for next year will be the same as last year. But there are important developments related to arts programs, school police, job security, and future financial stability.
How did LA Unified avoid layoffs?
Like other school systems, L.A. Unified has had to deal with the end of pandemic-relief aid that paid for staff and additional recovery programs. state budget deficit As a result, the government has received less money than expected.
It helped that L.A. Unified got a nearly $500 million boost this school year through federal reimbursement for its extensive COVID-testing program.
The massive and extremely costly program — which required all students and staff to take weekly COVID tests — was one of the most stringent in the country and was implemented under then-Superintendent Austin Beutner. The district initially used its own dollars and was not guaranteed reimbursement from the Biden administration.
The end result also benefited because the district never hired anyone Hundreds, maybe thousands, Among the people the district hoped to bring on using pandemic relief aid were mental health workers, nurses and counselors. Though students didn’t receive help with academic and mental health needs, money was saved — and, in turn, the district is now left with underfunded staff.
The district’s budget is also smaller, since funding is based largely on enrollment, and L.A. Unified’s declining enrollment means a decrease in overall funding, even if the amount per student is comparable or increases slightly.
What is being cut?
Senior officials say no cuts are being made to services offered to students and no full-time employees are being laid off from jobs and benefits – though some are changing jobs and making less money. Positions for assistant principals who provide services to students with disabilities are being significantly reduced, though these administrators are not being removed from district employment.
Other school districts have not been so lucky.
Early on, L.A. Unified administrators looked for additional ways to make cuts.
For example, when the school budget for 2024-25 came out, the district gave principals less money than expected. So while senior officials publicly called for no layoffs, principals were tasked with cutting non-teaching positions, forcing these employees to move to lower-paying jobs or cutting work hours below the minimum needed to qualify for health benefits.
A A small uproar began — led by unions, parents and school staff — and the district has since restored much of the funding. Principals had to quickly readjust.
Which education programs are getting the most support?
The budget is a complicated document — with money coming in or going out of sources with different spending rules. So, while a group of social workers have been moved to lower-paying positions, there are other funds that can be and are being used to rapidly scale up robotics programs. And state funding for out-of-school learning has led to a huge increase in field trips.
But in the main, the district’s priorities and spending have remained the same: the Black Student Achievement Plan and continued strong support for schools that are struggling the most academically and have the most needy students.
Advocates of both efforts wanted even more resources for these programs — and they told the school board that in public testimony.
What does the future look like?
The school system will end the year on June 30 with a final balance of more than $6 billion, a figure that the unions classify as: ridiculously highHe said more money should be spent on additional staff, higher salaries and programs for students.
However, officials insist that this amount is misleading and that a different and more relevant figure, the unassigned ending balance, is a comparatively modest $800 million. And that amount will keep shrinking because the district has already committed to spending far more than what comes in over the next three years.
In this light, actions taken at the district level reflect concern for the future—which supporters see as prudent, while critics see it as overly cautious.
Future concerns include unfunded retiree health benefits and an uncertain state economy.
Does the budget resolve the controversy over arts funding?
Not really. Former Superintendent Beutner has accused L.A. Unified of violating voter-approved Proposition 28 — which he authored and which provides new arts funding for every public school in California, including even more dollars for schools with high poverty enrollments.
This investment in arts education was to begin in the 2023-24 school year. According to the rules, the new amount was to be added in addition to the money already being provided for arts education. But parents and staff at LA Unified saw no change in the level of arts education in many schools.
Last week, facing mounting pressure from parents and a coalition that included major unions and Beutner, the district Added $30 million There have been changes to the elementary arts programs for next year.
But critics want to know what happened to last year’s money — about $77 million was sent to L.A. Unified last year under Proposition 28.
Officials have declined to answer The Times’ questions about the level of funding the district plans to provide for elementary school arts instruction — called the Traveling Arts Program — for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25. The answers could go a long way in determining whether the district has used Proposition 28 funds to replace district funds, which Beutner and others believe would violate the law.
How was the issue of funding or abolishing school police resolved?
It was not like that.
Anti-police activists, including students, want the school police department abolished. Its budget was $69.2 million last year. This year’s budget is the same, though given rising costs, a steady year-over-year figure typically reflects cuts in services or personnel. Also, $3.7 million in funding from last year’s vacant police department positions was redirected to student services, which anti-police advocates support.
Meanwhile, pro-police parents support increased funding, which Return of officers to campusesThe Board of Education voted by a majority of 4 to 3 in 2020 Cut out the school police The budget was cut by 35% following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Prior to that action, high schools typically had one officer, while two middle schools had one officer.
