$10M Charter Grant Cut Hits 42 LA Schools

Families at affected LAUSD charter schools could see fewer staff and program dollars as district funding shifts.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Financial Aid

$10M Charter Grant Cut Hits 42 LA Schools

Live Poll

Should school districts cut funding to charter schools to close budget deficits?

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is eliminating a supplemental Charter Block Grant allocation that supports 42 affiliated charter schools, a cut of $10 million, as the district works to close a $3.6 billion projected deficit. Parents, students and teachers plan rallies on Tuesday to protest the change.

Why it matters

The district says the cut is needed to help close a $3.6 billion deficit driven by falling enrollment and rising costs, and to bring more consistency to how resources are allocated across the District. For families at affected schools, the change could mean fewer staff and fewer program dollars at the campus their students attend.

The eliminated money is the supplemental Charter Block Grant allocation given to 42 affiliated charter schools that began operating before fiscal year 2012-13, totaling $10 million. Affiliated schools will continue to receive funding through norm-based allocations and other applicable District programs.

The players

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

The nation's second-largest public school district, which oversees the affiliated charter schools and set the grant cut.

Riverside Drive Charter School

An LAUSD-affiliated charter school whose parents say it could lose nearly half a million dollars and at least 12 staff positions.

The details

The supplemental allocation was originally funded from central District resources after the state's Charter School Categorical Block Grant ended in 2013, and LAUSD is now removing that add-on. Schools will still receive their norm-based allocations and access to other District programs, so the reduction is in the supplemental layer rather than the base funding. Families at affected campuses are being told to expect budget effects that could include staff reductions, which is why parents, students and teachers are organizing protests and plan to address district leaders during public comment at an afternoon board meeting.

Tuesday: rallies planned at several campuses and public comment at an afternoon board meeting.
The Charter Block Grant supplement began for affiliated schools operating before fiscal year 2012-13.

Education Landscape

The cut traces back to 2013, when California's Charter School Categorical Block Grant ended and LAUSD began covering a supplemental allocation from its own central resources. Now that district enrollment is falling and one-time COVID-19 relief funding has expired, that stopgap support is being pulled back as the district works through its budget gap.

Families at affected charter schools should ask their school's administration how the loss of supplemental funding will change staffing, programs, and student services for the coming year. Anyone with questions about how district funding affects a specific campus can bring them to the school's leadership or to a public comment session at the district board meeting.

The takeaway

Budget cuts at the district level can reach individual campuses through staffing and program changes, so it helps to ask your school directly how it plans to adjust. Keep an eye on the board meeting agenda and public comment opportunities if you want your concerns on the record.