Thousands of LAUSD Workers Could Face Layoffs

The second-largest school district in the nation is considering major staffing cuts amid budget deficits.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is considering issuing potential layoff notices to thousands of employees, including contract management staff, certificated administrators, and central office positions, as it grapples with a projected budget deficit of over $1 billion. The district cites declining enrollment, rising operational costs, and the expiration of COVID-19 funding as key factors behind the proposed cuts, which could impact less than 1% of LAUSD's total workforce.

Why it matters

The proposed layoffs at LAUSD, one of the largest school districts in the nation, highlight the financial challenges facing public education systems as they navigate declining enrollment, increased costs, and the loss of pandemic-era funding. The cuts could have significant impacts on students, families, and the broader community served by LAUSD.

The details

The LAUSD Board of Education is expected to discuss the potential layoffs at a meeting on February 17. The district has identified approximately 2,600 contract management and certificated administrator positions that could receive layoff notices in mid-March, as well as 657 central office and centrally-funded positions slated for elimination. Additionally, several dozen positions are set to see reduced hours. While receiving a layoff notice does not guarantee an employee will be laid off, the district must issue notices to a greater number of employees than the positions identified for cuts in order to comply with education code requirements.

  • The LAUSD Board of Education is expected to discuss the potential layoffs at a meeting on February 17.
  • Employees could receive layoff notices in mid-March, as California requires school districts to alert certain workers by March 15 that they may be laid off in the following school year.

The players

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

The second-largest school district in the nation, serving hundreds of thousands of students in Southern California.

Alberto Carvalho

The superintendent of LAUSD, who acknowledged that while the district is seeking to cut positions, it may not be able to avoid layoffs entirely.

Saman Bravo-Karimi

The chief financial officer of LAUSD, who stated that the reduction in force will need to be done at some point due to the district's significant financial outlook and the fact that the vast majority of its resources are spent on staff.

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What’s next

The LAUSD Board of Education is expected to vote on authorizing the district to issue potential layoff notices and eliminate certain positions at its meeting on February 17.

The takeaway

The proposed layoffs at LAUSD highlight the financial challenges facing public education systems, as they grapple with declining enrollment, rising costs, and the loss of pandemic-era funding. While the cuts would impact less than 1% of the district's workforce, they could still have significant consequences for students, families, and the broader community served by LAUSD.