A school district budget shapes what students experience and the support they receive every day in classrooms. Advocating for equitable budget allocations is particularly critical in communities that have been historically underserved.
Understanding the school district’s budget is central to our work advancing equitable, student-centered policy and practice.
That is why we are paying close attention to Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) budget deficit and the district’s proposed cuts, as outlined in its Fiscal Stabilization Plan (FSP).
The Context:
LAUSD is facing deep and growing structural financial challenges. For 2027-28, LAUSD is projected to have a budget deficit of $1.3 billion, reaching $3.6 billion in the 2028-2029 school year. District leaders have shared the deficit is driven by declining enrollment for over the last two decades, expiration of one-time Covid-19 funds and rising costs. Starting in 2025, LAUSD started spending more than what it was able to bring in, resulting in the district needing to use reserves. These deficits are projected to grow in the coming years.
What is the District planning on doing:
The Board approved a Fiscal Stabilization Plan for 2026-27 through 2028-2029 to address the deficit, this plan is a three-year project that identifies revenue and proposes a budget reduction to avoid negative reserves. The Fiscal Stabilization Plan outlines additional cuts beyond the 2025 Fiscal Stabilization Plan that was approved in June last year.
Part of this plan is to eliminate in full the Student Needs Equity Index (SENI) budget by 2028-29, from $500 million to $100 million in 2027-28 to $0 in 2028-29. Under the original plan, the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) budget would have been reduced from $125 million to $25 million in 2027-28 and 2028-29. Following strong advocacy from students, families, community members, and advocates, the LAUSD Board voted to restore the BSAP funding.
Declining enrollment and rising costs require hard decisions. However, when resources become limited, the students who already face the greatest barriers should not bear the greatest burden.
A budget is a reflection of a community’s values. We know that LAUSD cares deeply about providing equitable support for its students, which is why SENI and BSAP were created in the first place. We also understand LAUSD is facing a budget deficit, yet we don’t want that deficit to come at the cost of our students or our collective value of upholding equity.
It is important to recognize that as the second largest school district in the US, LAUSD sets an example not just for our community and state, but for the rest of the country.
We thank the Board members for their work to protect BSAP. As the District moves forward with its Fiscal Stabilization Plan, we urge district leaders to protect the programs, services, and supports that help students succeed, especially in our highest-need communities. This includes protecting SENI and maintaining meaningful investments to support student wellness, special education, English Learners, family engagement, and equity-focused programs that were created to address longstanding opportunity gaps.
At Innovate Public Schools, we are working to build the capacity of parents and families to organize and advocate for high quality K-12 public education, particularly for low-income students, Black and Latino students, English learners, and students with learning differences. To help parents advocate for equitable school budgets, we are equipping families with data and opportunities to engage in conversations and advocate for investments that support student success. We are also ready to partner with the district to continue advocating at the state level to ensure our most underserved students and districts like LAUSD continue to receive the funds they need to help students thrive.
It is necessary to recognize that these financial challenges are going to continue in the years to come so we need to find a way for the community and district to come together for a larger conversation around equitable school budgets to discuss alternative, effective and most importantly, sustainable solutions, otherwise we will have to keep having these budget cuts discussions year over year. We ask that you continue partnering with communities to ensure that fiscal decisions strengthen, not weaken, the supports that our students rely on every day.
Are you interested in taking action for students? You can help make a difference by improving schools for all students! Contact us to meet with our team and get involved.
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