LAUSD board approves 2026–27 budget after amendments to restore funding for afterschool partners

After hours of public testimony from community-based organizations, students and parents, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board on June 23 adopted the 2026–27 budget with a key amendment that directs additional one-year funding toward community-based expanded-learning partners while staff begin work to design a longer-term, sustainable contracting model.

Staff presented a fiscal stabilization plan and a balanced budget that included painful reductions across district programs. CBO leaders and hundreds of students and parents warned the board that cuts to ELOP/21st Century/ACES rates would force the closure of dozens of afterschool programs and asked the district to budget realistic provider rates or develop a different contracting approach.

In public testimony providers and students described the role of programs in keeping students safe, tutoring and college and career access; several urged the board to protect the Black Student Achievement Plan (BAP) and other targeted investments. Students also appealed for less spending on school policing and more on counseling and campus supports.

In response the board amended the proposed budget to restore $12 million in enhanced allocations for CBO partners for FY 2026–27 (the acting superintendent had proposed a portion earlier). The board asked staff to convene partners this summer and fall to jointly develop a cohort- or site-based contracting structure and to present options for a durable model for 2027–28 and beyond. Staff said part of the restored money will come from reallocated ELOP items that were underspent and from one-time adjustments; they cautioned a multi-year restoration depends on revenue and further budget choices.

Board members noted the broader challenge: recent labor agreements increase district costs in multiple operating funds and contribute to the longer-term fiscal gap the FSP is meant to address. Several board members said the amendment was necessary to avoid immediate program closures and to preserve relationships with long-standing partners; others pressed staff for a clear timeline on contract redesign and asked for public school-site impact reporting that shows which schools would see the biggest changes.

The budget — as amended — passed on a recorded vote. Staff pledged to report back on procurement options, proposed cohort contracting, and a school-site impact dashboard by the fall and to continue convening providers as part of the budget implementation work.

Public commenters also raised a wide array of additional issues during the budget discussion, including requests to preserve the Black Student Achievement Plan (BAP), debate over school police funding and calls for greater transparency about LCAP development and whistleblower allegations. Staff said they would follow up on the whistleblower claims separately.