LAUSD Preserves $100M for Black Student Plan

The district's board kept annual funding for the program as a federal civil rights investigation into its race-based criteria resumes.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Special Education

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain pale civic building facade under a clear sky, conveying institutional gravity around a contested public decision. — The Los Angeles Unified School District board kept $100 million a year for its Black Student Achievement Plan as a federal civil rights review of its race-based criteria resumes. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved a resolution setting aside $100 million annually for its Black Student Achievement Plan for 2027-28 and 2028-29. The amount exceeds the $75 million previously proposed for 2027-28, while the resolution provides no funding for the program in 2029-30.

Why it matters

The vote shields the program from deeper cuts as the district faces projected budget shortfalls of $1.3 billion and $3.6 billion in the coming two years. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is also reviewing whether the program discriminates against non-Black students based on race.

The resolution sets $100 million per year for the program in 2027-28 and 2028-29, but funds nothing for 2029-30. Whether the program's criteria will be found compliant with federal civil rights law has not been resolved.

The players

Los Angeles Unified School District

The second-largest public school district in the United States, serving students across the Los Angeles area.

Alberto Carvalho

The superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, who has led the district's leadership during its budget deliberations.

Jackie Goldberg

A member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education who has been involved in its policy decisions on the program.

The details

The board approved the funding through a resolution at a Tuesday meeting. The Office for Civil Rights reopened its investigation in April 2026 after Defending Education challenged whether LAUSD had actually removed race-based criteria from the program, a question the earlier federal probe, closed in July 2024, had accepted.

July 2023: Defending Education filed a civil rights complaint against LAUSD.
July 2024: Federal officials closed the original investigation after the district said it had shifted to race-neutral criteria.
March 25, 2026: Defending Education asked federal officials to reopen the matter.
April 2026: The Office for Civil Rights reopened the investigation.

Legal Context

The review turns on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race-based discrimination in federally funded programs. Whether the district's shift to race-neutral criteria meets that standard is the central question federal officials must now resolve.

Families in the district will see whether the Black Student Achievement Plan continues to receive funding in 2027-28 and 2028-29, but nothing is set for 2029-30. Parents of students outside the program should watch whether the federal review changes how it is offered.

The takeaway

Program funding decisions in large districts often hinge on how civil rights law treats race-based criteria, not only on budget totals. Readers tracking similar programs should follow whether districts document the removal of race-based eligibility rules.