LA schools protect $100M DEI program yet ax charter schools

The LA Unified School District is in serious financial trouble, with a $3.6 billion deficit. So where does it start cutting spending?

If you guessed “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), you get a failing grade in California politics.

But if you guessed “charter schools,” you get an A-plus.

It’s no mystery why LAUSD is cutting $10 million per year from the district’s 42 charter schools.

The powerful teachers unions detest charter schools — even “affiliated” ones, whose staff are part of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

Charter schools have greater independence from the district — and often show better results.

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They are islands of excellence in a sea of despair.

That’s why charter schools are so popular in minority communities. Parents are desperate to get their kids out of LAUSD’s failing public schools and into a charter school. 

Sometimes children take city buses across the entire city just to attend one.

The 42 schools that would be affected by the cuts were using the money for “essential” staff and programs.

The district tried to justify the cuts by pointing out that not every charter school received the funds.

Apparently, no one can stand out. Everyone must be reduced to the same level.

It’s worth noting what LAUSD didn’t cut. 

As The California Post reported, LAUSD decided to protect $100 million for something called the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP).

The board preserved the funding for BSAP even though the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the program for racial discrimination.

No one is against “black student achievement.” In fact the best way for black students to achieve excellence is often through charter schools — not through race-based programs.

If LAUSD were truly interested in “black student achievement,” it would cut BSAP and spend the $100 million on charter schools.

The LAUSD board says it is being forced to make budget cuts because of declining student enrollment. 

Cuts to charter schools would only make that problem worse.

If charter schools lose staff and programs, more parents will pull their kids out of LAUSD.

The few families who can afford private or religious schools will send them there. The rest will move away, as so many families already have.

It’s absurd to cling to DEI programs while cutting funding to schools that actually help minorities.

Cut the parts of the system that are failing — not the few parts that are working.