As ABC7 RSS Feed reported, parents, students, and teachers have planned rallies across Los Angeles on Tuesday. The demonstrations are organized by parents, students, and teachers to protest a ten million dollar grant cut. This funding reduction directly affects forty-two LAUSD-affiliated charter schools across the region.
Demonstrators stated that the ten million dollar grant cut threatens to impact nearly twenty-five thousand kids. Furthermore, participants warned that the funding reduction is expected to cause layoffs across the affected campuses. Examining specific impacts, parents noted that Riverside Drive Charter School alone could lose nearly half a million dollars and twelve staff positions as a result of the cuts.
In response to the backlash from parents, students, and teachers regarding the forty-two LAUSD-affiliated charter schools, the district pointed to broader financial struggles. The district cites a massive three point six billion dollar deficit, which officials attribute to falling enrollment and rising costs throughout the system.
Raising concerns about safety and supervision following the announcement of the cuts and potential layoffs, Kate Marchbank told ABC7 RSS Feed, "So who's going to watch our kids (during) recess? If there's an emergency drill, if there's a fire drill or an earthquake or a lockdown, we don't have people on the yard to watch our kids and you're asking me to send my 4-year-old to school?"
