LAUSD OK's $18.8B Budget

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education has unanimously approved an $18.8 billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year that includes protection of current staffing levels and increased money for programs for Black students and LGBTQ+ students.

Among the highlights of the budget approved Tuesday are:

• An additional $25 million in equity investment for the for Black Student Achievement Plan, bringing total funding to $175 million;
• An additional $26 million for accelerated arts investment;
• An additional $2 million for protection, awareness and training toward supporting LGBTQ+ students;
• Continued $700 million commitment to the Student Equity Need Index;
• Increased funding for Student and Family Centers, up to $5 million;
• A moratorium on cabinet-level salary increases and on certain benefits for senior staff;
• Preservation of current staffing levels without furloughs;
• The redirection of $645 million in general fund contributions, originally intended for the Other Post-Employment Benefits trust, to fund a Fiscal and Workforce Stabilization Fund.

"The principles and values reflected in this budget uphold our promise to student equity," LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. "While the structural deficit we face is unwelcome, our team has adopted a responsible framework with flexible guard rails that are adaptive to our economic reality. We will continue to monitor the budget throughout the year, preparing for future challenges while maintaining transparency."

Board President Scott Schmerelson said the budget "is the clearest expression of our values, our commitment to protect our most sacred spaces — our schools. I voted to support this budget because, though imperfect, it is the best we can do during these very difficult times."

Activists with the Police-Free LAUSD Coalition hailed the added funding for equity programs and Black and LGBTQ students.

"It's really powerful seeing this happen today. This is a massive victory for all Black, immigrant, and queer students and our families. We fought hard for this because we know our communities deserve to be safe, affirmed, and supported — not sidelined," said Katherine, a student leader with Inner City Struggle and senior at Roosevelt High School.

"For the first time, LAUSD is actually acting on our demands — allocating $50 million to expand BSAP, $5 million to finally fund Dream Centers for undocumented students, and $2 million for resources that affirm and support LGBTQ+ students," said Kaelin, a student at UCLA Community School and leader with Students Deserve. "This is a huge win — not just because we got a `yes,' but because it proves that our organizing is working. Now it's on us to keep holding the district accountable to following through."

The budget includes roughly $6.5 billion in unrestricted general fund money, $5 billion in restricted general funds, $3.35 billion in capital projects funds, $1.7 billion for employee benefits, workers' compensation, liability insurance and other post-employment benefits, and $1.2 billion in debt service funds.

The LAUSD expects to take in $15.9 billion in revenue next fiscal year. The district has been using billions in one-time federal coronavirus funds to manage the deficit.

The district projects an enrollment decline of 6,491 students to 396,070 in 2025-26, from 402,561 in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

City News Service