Overview
- Los Angeles Unified averted a citywide walkout Tuesday by reaching tentative contracts with teachers, support staff and administrators that add nearly $1.2 billion in annual costs.
- District officials say they will pursue Sacramento funding to cover the commitments, and the California Department of Finance says its response is still under development.
- The agreements deliver sizable raises — about 24% for SEIU Local 99 support staff, roughly 13.9% on average for teachers with starting pay lifted to $77,000, and about 11–12% for administrators — plus restored hours for benefits and the reversal of hundreds of planned layoffs.
- LAUSD’s budget is about $18.8 billion, but reserves are projected to fall to $3.8 billion by June from roughly $5 billion last year, and officials report structural deficits tied to declining enrollment that could force cuts without new revenue.
- In a sign of wider labor strain, teachers in the Little Lake City School District went on strike Thursday over a cap on employer health coverage, larger class sizes and special-education support, with some employees facing monthly health costs as high as $1,400.