LAUSD moves to cut $10 million from 42 affiliated charter schools

Parents, students and teachers planned rallies at several Los Angeles Unified campuses on Tuesday to protest a $10 million cut to 42 LAUSD-affiliated charter schools, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The cut is part of a plan the school board approved to close a projected $3.6 billion deficit. NBC Los Angeles reported that the rallies were set for Tuesday morning, and that critics call the $10 million a year cut about 1% of the district's $2.49 billion in planned cuts. Here is what the cut does, what the district says, and what happens next.

What to know

What is being cut. The district is eliminating a supplemental Charter Block Grant allocation that it has historically given to 42 affiliated charter schools that began operating before fiscal year 2012-13, according to a district statement quoted by ABC7. The money came from central district resources after the state's Charter School Categorical Block Grant ended in 2013.
Who could feel it. Demonstrators warn the cut will strip support from nearly 25,000 kids, trigger layoffs, compromise school safety and hurt low-income families, ABC7 reported. NBC Los Angeles reported that families worry it will worsen enrollment, eliminate jobs on campus and hurt programs.
What it means at one school. At Riverside Drive Charter School, parents say they could lose nearly half a million dollars and at least 12 staff positions, ABC7 reported.
How the district explains it. LAUSD has a projected $3.6 billion deficit, which the district blames on falling enrollment, rising operational costs and the expiration of one-time COVID-19 relief funding.
What stays the same. The district says affiliated charter schools will keep receiving funding through norm-based allocations and other applicable district programs. NBC Los Angeles reported the same point.
How the proposal surfaced. Circling The News reported that Palisades parents received a letter on Nov. 6 saying the district was proposing the cut. The outlet published its story on Nov. 8.
Where the fight goes next. Demonstrators planned to bring their concerns to district leaders during public comment at an afternoon board meeting Tuesday, ABC7 reported.

The numbers behind the cut

The $3.6 billion deficit is the largest figure in this story, and the $10 million is a small piece of it. Critics quoted by NBC Los Angeles put the grant cut at about 1% of the district's $2.49 billion in planned cuts. The cut affects 42 schools, and the groups opposing it say it reaches nearly 25,000 students. Those numbers explain why the fight is about staffing and programs as much as dollars. A few million dollars spread across dozens of schools can mean a handful of positions at each campus, which is the detail parents keep returning to.

The district's case in its own words

ABC7 published the district's full statement. The central passage reads:

“One of the changes included in this effort is the elimination of the supplemental Charter Block Grant allocation historically provided to 42 affiliated charter schools that began operating before fiscal year 2012-13. This supplemental funding came from central District resources after the state's Charter School Categorical Block Grant ended in 2013. 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 also says the district recognizes “the concerns families and school communities have raised about potential effects on staffing, services and programs.” That acknowledgment matters. Parents' main concern is not whether funding should be consistent. It is what happens to staff, programs and the adults who watch the playground.

Frequently asked questions

Why is LAUSD cutting funding to charter schools? The district says the cut is part of a plan to close a projected $3.6 billion deficit, which it links to falling enrollment, rising costs and the end of one-time COVID-19 relief money. It also argues that the change gives all schools more consistent treatment.

Which schools are affected? The cut affects 42 LAUSD-affiliated charter schools that began operating before fiscal 2012-13. The district says other affiliated charter schools and traditional district schools did not receive this supplemental allocation.

How much money is involved? The cut is $10 million a year, NBC Los Angeles reported. Parents at Riverside Drive Charter School say they could lose nearly half a million dollars and at least 12 staff positions.

What are parents doing about it? Parents, students and teachers planned rallies at several campuses on Tuesday. They also planned to bring their concerns to district leaders during public comment at an afternoon board meeting, ABC7 reported. Organizers say the cut will hurt staffing, safety and programs at schools serving low-income families.

Will charter schools still get money? The district says yes, through norm-based allocations and other applicable district programs. The coverage so far does not show how those allocations compare with the supplemental grant being removed.

Our take

The district has a real budget problem, and nothing in the coverage suggests otherwise. A $3.6 billion gap is too large to close without hard choices. The narrower question is what a $10 million cut means on the ground: staff, recess supervision and campus safety. Parents have asked who will watch the yard during a drill, and that is a fair question for the board to answer in public. The consistency argument also holds up on its face, because these schools received money that other charters and district schools did not. Whether the savings are worth the disruption is the call the board has to make in front of the families who will live with the result.

If your child attends one of these schools, or you work at one, tell us what you are seeing. What would you want the board to explain in public?

Sources

What do you think? Tell us in the comments below, or post about it on the community board.

LA This Weekend Team