LAUSD is cutting a lot of money from programs that support Black students and other higher need kids, even while you may have heard they also have “surplus” money in the bank. For parents, the messaging feels totally mixed, so let’s break what’s actually happening into normal language.

On paper, the district still shows big balances in some funds, and that sounds like a surplus. At the same time, their long‑term budget shows huge holes over the next three years because day‑to‑day costs are growing faster than long‑term, stable income.

A few key things happening at once:

Pay raises and new staffing
The district signed new labor agreements with big raises and more school‑based jobs: more counselors, mental health staff, and smaller classes. These are good things for kids and staff, but they also locked in about one and a half billion dollars a year in ongoing costs.

Temporary money is ending
Pandemic‑era (Covid) relief money is going away. The district used some of that one‑time money to launch or expand programs, and now it has to keep paying those bills without that extra cash.

Fewer students, rising costs
Enrollment is declining and basic costs like salaries, benefits, and utilities keep rising. That means less funding coming in and more money going out each year.

So yes, you can have “money in the bank” and still be heading toward a cliff. The Fiscal Stabilization Plan is basically the district’s attempt to avoid going over that cliff and getting taken over by the county or state.

Across the next three years, the plan tries to close roughly three and a half billion dollars in budget gaps through a mix of new income and cuts.

To patch the hole, the district is:

This is where the mixed messaging comes in: the district says it is investing in staff and student support, and at the same time it is cutting some of the very programs that were created to address long‑standing inequities.

Here are the big cuts families are most likely to feel at schools in Venice, Mar Vista, Playa, and nearby neighborhoods:

Central office cuts
The district is cutting fifty million dollars in central contracts next year and two hundred million in each of the following two years, plus fifty million dollars a year in central office positions that will involve layoffs. That means fewer people downtown but also less support that eventually trickles down to schools.

Fewer school‑based positions
The plan cuts twenty‑five million dollars a year in site‑based positions that are funded by enrollment, which likely means fewer teachers, counselors, or other staff at schools. There is also thirty million dollars in savings tied to closing, merging, or repurposing schools, with layoffs attached.

Furlough days and higher health costs
The district plans furlough days for all employees, worth about fifty million dollars in one year and one hundred twenty‑five million dollars in a later year, and will also have employees pick up more of their health insurance. Depending how they structure this, that could mean fewer school days, or at least more pressure on staff who are being paid less in real terms.

Pausing retiree health contributions
The district saves more than one hundred million dollars a year by not putting money into the retiree health care fund. That does not hit classrooms tomorrow morning, but it pushes risk into the future.

All of that is painful. But the most concerning piece for many Westside parents is where the district is choosing to cut very deeply: in equity focused programs.

The plan calls out specific, large cuts to funding that is supposed to support Black students and other high‑need kids.

Two of the biggest moves:

If you strip away the jargon, this means: money that was meant to give extra help to Black students, students in poverty, and other historically underserved groups is being reduced at the same time the district says it is investing in mental health staff, social workers, and smaller class sizes.

The district isn’t saying “we’re cutting DEI,” but when you slash money meant to support Black students and higher‑need schools, you are still cutting into equity work in practice, even if you avoid the three‑letter label.

Every campus is different, but here’s how families at schools in Venice, Mar Vista, and nearby pockets might feel these changes:

Fewer dedicated staff for Black student support
Schools that had staff members focused on Black student achievement could lose positions or see them stretched across more campuses. That can mean less personal outreach, fewer programs, and less consistent support.

Fewer or smaller programs aimed at closing gaps
After‑school tutoring, mentoring groups, culturally specific programs, or special family engagement events that were created with equity dollars may be scaled back or cut entirely.

More pressure on general staff
When equity funding shrinks, schools often try to keep some services going by asking teachers, counselors, and administrators to do even more on top of their regular jobs. That can dilute the focus on Black students and other higher‑need groups, even when everyone’s intentions are good.

Bigger class sizes or fewer elective and support options
When site‑based positions are reduced, the first visible changes are often slightly larger classes, fewer sections of popular electives, and less access to targeted support or small‑group instruction that benefits struggling students.

For families who were told these programs were long‑term commitments, it feels like whiplash: last year, the message was “we are finally investing in Black students,” and now the message sounds a lot like “we have to cut the very dollars that were supposed to make that real.”