Angry parents are challenging the Los Angeles Unified School District’s plan to cut millions of dollars from dozens of affiliated charter schools.
Families and educators warn that the reductions could leave campuses short-staffed and undermine student safety.
Parents, teachers and students from 42 LAUSD-affiliated charter schools held demonstrations throughout Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 10, opposing the proposed elimination of a supplemental funding grant. Supporters say the money helps pay for essential staff, student services and school programs.
The district intends to remove roughly $100 million in additional funding from the 42 schools, which serve nearly 25,000 students. Organizers have described the annual allocation as about $10 million, although the exact amount remains uncertain.
The protests began at 7:30 a.m. with rallies at 10 charter school campuses. Parents and members of school communities were also scheduled to assemble outside LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at 2:30 p.m., ahead of public comments to the Board of Education at 3:30 p.m.
At Riverside Drive Charter Elementary in Studio City, parents said the proposed reductions could cost the school nearly $500,000 and eliminate at least 12 staff positions.
For all 42 affected schools, the funding loss is equal to approximately 112 full-time positions.
Parents say the impact would go beyond reduced classroom staffing and resources. They are also questioning whether campuses would have enough adults to supervise students during recess or respond effectively in an emergency.
“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 dispute involves a supplemental Charter Block Grant that LAUSD has historically awarded to 42 affiliated charter schools that began operating before the 2012-13 school year.
Although the schools operate within LAUSD and employ district staff, affiliated charter campuses have more flexibility than traditional district schools in managing their programs.
The additional funding was created after California discontinued its state Charter School Categorical Block Grant in 2013. LAUSD then used money from its central district budget to provide the replacement funding.
In a statement to The California Post, LAUSD said it is confronting serious financial pressures caused by declining enrollment, higher operating costs and the expiration of one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds.
The district projects a $3.6 billion deficit as a result of those challenges.
“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 characterized the move as an attempt to create a more uniform funding system 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.
LAUSD acknowledged that the decision could affect campuses differently and said it understood families’ concerns about the possible impact on staffing, services and programs.
Still, the district emphasized that affiliated charter schools would continue to receive funding through norm-based allocations and other applicable district programs.
The proposed cuts come as the nation’s second-largest school district faces falling enrollment and growing budget demands, prompting officials to search for savings across its extensive campus network.
Parents opposing the reductions are calling on district leaders to reverse course before the changes affect the staff and services they consider vital to student safety and learning.
