The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is preparing to lay off over 1,000 employees following a recent Board of Education vote and additional terminations of staff without union protections.The district also unveiled a new fiscal stability plan projecting $3.6 billion in cuts over the next three years.This plan could result in more than 6,000 job reductions, school closures, furloughs, and reduced benefits for remaining employees.

Officials attribute the financial strain to declining student enrollment, the expiration of COVID-relief funds, rising inflation, and recent union contracts with substantial raises.While the board vote initially affects 657 workers, officials aim to reduce the number through attrition, transfers, and union negotiations.

Layoffs will disproportionately affect essential support staff, including clerical workers, library aides, transportation staff, and other non-teaching personnel, who ensure daily school operations continue smoothly.Temporary teachers and counselors also face job loss.Union leaders criticize the cuts as unnecessary, emphasizing that support staff are critical to school functioning.Despite these reductions, new union contracts include some expansions, such as additional counselors and modest class-size reductions.The district hopes to mitigate the most severe outcomes over the next year, contingent on future state funding and enrollment trends.