LAUSD locks in $100M a year for black student program — even as feds probe whether it discriminates by race

Résumé détaillé

Critics say the cash commitment raises questions about the district’s priorities as it slashes other school spending and faces federal scrutiny.

Los Angeles school officials have locked in $100 million a year for a controversial program for black students — despite an ongoing federal civil-rights investigation into whether it illegally favors students based on race.

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved a resolution Tuesday to preserve $100 million in annual funding for its Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) for both the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years, shielding the program from deeper cuts as the district grapples with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.

The decision comes as the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights probes allegations that the program discriminates against non-black students by directing resources and services based on race.

The federal investigation was reopened in April after the conservative education advocacy group Defending Education challenged whether the LAUSD had actually removed race-based criteria from the program, despite the district previously telling federal officials it had done so.

The resolution provides $100 million annually for the program over the next two school years, above the previously proposed $75 million in 2027-28 and no funding the following school year.

The changes come as the district faces projected budget shortfalls of $1.3 billion in 2027-28 and $3.6 billion the following year.

Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and senior legal fellow at Defending Education, blasted the board’s decision, arguing the district was protecting a race-based program while making cuts elsewhere.

“For a district that pleaded poverty all year, and approved a plan cutting thousands of jobs, LAUSD still managed to unearth nine figures a year for a program with a racial classification in its name,” Perry told the California Post.

She argued that the district’s broader financial plan strips $500 million from schools serving the highest-need students, while preserving funding for black students.

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