Los Angeles Schools Brace for Massive Coordinated Strike

Around 70,000 teachers, principals, and staff set to walk off the job, closing schools for over 500,000 students

Apr. 10, 2026 at 9:53pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a single, iconic school supply item such as a pencil, notebook, or chalkboard eraser, repeated in a tight grid pattern, capturing the energy and frustration of the coordinated strike by education workers.As tensions rise over school funding and resources, the coordinated strike by teachers, principals, and staff highlights the widespread frustration among education workers.Los Angeles Today

The Los Angeles Unified School District is facing a major labor crisis as around 70,000 teachers, principals, and staff are set to go on strike in a coordinated effort that would shut down schools for over half a million students. The unions are demanding higher pay, smaller class sizes, and more support staff, while the district argues its funding model based on daily attendance is flawed and needs reform.

Why it matters

This would be the third major strike at LAUSD in seven years, signaling an ongoing battle over school funding and resources in the nation's second-largest school district. The involvement of principals and managers in the strike is unprecedented and highlights the widespread frustration among education workers over workloads, pay, and lack of support.

The details

The unions, including United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA), are seeking an average 17% pay raise over two years, smaller class sizes, and more social workers and psychologists. The district has countered with an 8% raise offer. With funding tied to daily attendance, LAUSD stands to lose millions per day if the strike drags on.

  • The strike is set to begin on April 15, 2026.
  • UTLA's last major strike was in 2019, lasting six days.
  • SEIU and UTLA held a sympathy strike in 2023 that shuttered schools for three days.

The players

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)

The teachers' union representing around 35,000 educators in the LAUSD system.

Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA)

The union representing 3,000 principals and other school managers, the first time they have joined a strike at LAUSD.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

The union representing support staff like custodians and cafeteria workers, who joined UTLA in a sympathy strike in 2023.

Andrés Chait

The acting superintendent of LAUSD, focused on preventing the strike.

Alberto Carvalho

The previous LAUSD superintendent who agreed to a four-year contract extension before leaving the district.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Two things can be true at the same time. Our district does have upside-down priorities in terms of where they're spending money and where they're hoarding money. But it's also criminal that we're the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world — and we're not number one in per pupil funding.”

— Julie Van Winkle, Vice President, United Teachers Los Angeles

“We're all overworked, we're all underpaid, we're all understaffed, underresourced, and we all have a sense that we have been taken advantage of.”

— Maria Nichols, President, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles

What’s next

The district and unions are continuing negotiations in an effort to reach a deal and avoid the strike, which is set to begin on April 15, 2026. The LAUSD school board is expected to play a more active role in the negotiations with the previous superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, no longer in the picture.

The takeaway

This looming strike highlights the ongoing tensions over school funding and resources in one of the nation's largest school districts. The involvement of principals and managers, in addition to teachers, underscores the widespread frustration among education workers over workloads, pay, and lack of support, raising the stakes for a resolution.