Overview
- Preliminary district data show about a 4% shortfall in student attendance this school year, which has sharply reduced state funding for LAUSD.
- LAUSD’s chief financial officer says each 1% decline in enrollment costs roughly $20 million a year because California funds schools based on daily attendance.
- District staff warn that, without further spending cuts, LAUSD could exhaust its reserves during the 2027–28 school year.
- The school board adopted a $3.5 billion multi-year savings plan in June that includes central-office reductions already enacted and a plan to save about $30 million a year from school consolidation and repurposing beginning in 2028–29.
- The L.A. County Office of Education has assigned a fiscal expert and cautioned the district it could lose governance authority, while Superintendent Andrés Chait has scheduled public outreach and an upcoming district update to discuss possible closures and next steps.