LAUSD to cut thousands of jobs, but saves Black student achievement program in budget plan

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

Thousands of jobs would be cut over the next three years but a popular program to support Black students would survive under a budget-reduction plan approved by the Los Angeles Board of Education that shows how the district will avoid insolvency.Under pressure from community and student advocates, the board reversed proposed massive cuts to the distict’s Black Student Achievement Plan.The original fiscal blueprint would have cut $100 million of $125 million in annual spending on the program, a reduction that would have taken effect on July 1, 2027.

But board members approved two amendments to restore funding.The first amendment, proposed by Kelly Gonez, and approved unanimously, put back in $50 million — reducing next year’s cut in half, to $50 million.

That amendment also called for staff to present a plan in August to restore an additional $25 millionThen board member Karla Griego proposed drawing down a retiree health benefit trust fund for another $175 million, which would appear to close the rest of the gap for the three years of the financial plan.Griego’s amendment passed by a 5-2 vote, as did the revised financial plan.The two opposing votes each time were Nick Melvoin and Tanya Ortiz Franklin.

California With a major LAUSD strike averted, Tuesday changed from a day of anxiety to one of celebrating new deals for unions.But are they too expensive?The status of the funding for the Black Student Achievement Plan was confusing enough that district communications staff on Tuesday night were unable to confirm whether all the funding had been restored.At least one board member, when contacted, believed that the restoration was complete.The approved financial plan still cuts $500 million in extra funding for schools identified as having students with the highest needs.

The board’s actions came on the same day that it approved major labor agreements, which narrowly av...