Los Angeles Unified board meeting, Jan 27, 2026
3 h 52 min · 28 public speakers
This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 52 min.
- Who spoke · first speaks at
- Nick MelvoinBoard Member
- Rocio RivasBoard Vice President
- Sherlett Hendy NewbillBoard Member
- Karla GriegoBoard Member
- Kelly GonezBoard Member
- Scott SchmerelsonBoard President
- Tanya Ortiz FranklinBoard Member
What happened
What happened at this meeting
Los Angeles Unified board passes human trafficking awareness resolution 1:47:02
- The consent calendar passed. 44:30
- Several items passed, including Tab 1 and Tab 20. 49:24
- Board members questioned transportation staff about a $63 million bus contract, and one board member said the board should work toward reducing contracted services. 1:02:43
- An auditor presented the annual comprehensive financial report and said the firm issued an unmodified opinion, and a staff member said no action was taken on the item. 2:19:03
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Item by item (14)
- Opening and roll call 0:05
- A staff member took roll, announced a quorum and led into the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a land acknowledgment. 0:05
- President's and committee reports 3:28
- A speaker invited as a labor partner said Teamsters Local 572 had been bargaining with the district for 22 months. 3:34
- Nick Melvoin said about 2,500 students had returned to Pali High a little over a year after the fires. 11:24
- Rocio Rivas said the Committee of the Whole met January 20th on the fiscal outlook and enrollment and would next meet Tuesday, February 24th. 18:09
- Consent calendar 20:10
- A staff member read the consent items aloud, and speakers signed up on the KIPP renewal petitions waived their time. 24:02
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill described the Black History Month item as marking a century of Black history commemorations from 1926 to 2026, and Scott Schmerelson and Rocio Rivas asked to be co-sponsors. 31:03
- A speaker at public comment asked the board to defend district programs challenged in a lawsuit. 40:48
- A staff member announced that the consent calendar passed. 44:30
- Donations and routine personnel actions 44:30
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill asked where programs funded by a foundation donation to the division of adult and career education would be located, and a speaker said a list would be provided. 45:21
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill asked whether the number of substitute special education assistants, about 138, was higher than usual, and a speaker replied that it would be looked into. 50:04
- A staff member announced that both the donations item and the personnel item passed. 49:24
- Emergency school closure report 51:46
- A staff member said the closures of Garfield High School and Monterey Continuation High School followed the discovery of explosives at a nearby home. 52:53
- Rocio Rivas asked about lessons learned, and the staff member cited moving the family reunification site closer and keeping emergency cards updated. 54:02
- A staff member announced that the item passed. ~56:19
- Procurement actions and bus contract 56:19
- A transportation staff member said the district has 1,400 routes and 950 drivers and a shortage of drivers and equipment. 1:00:40
- Karla Griego asked what the $63 million contract would cost if the work were done in-house, and the staff member said that would require analysis and an additional bus yard. 1:02:43
- Resolution on federal education department functions 1:11:54
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill presented a resolution opposing the transfer of U.S. Department of Education functions to other federal agencies. 1:12:15
- Scott Schmerelson said the board calls on the federal government to increase funding for the Department of Education. 1:14:44
- A staff member said all seven board members were listed as co-sponsors. 1:23:29
- Facilities contracts and best value policy 1:23:52
- Charter school facilities compliance 1:31:20
- Human trafficking awareness resolution 1:47:02
- Sherlett Hendy Newbill presented the resolution and introduced the Los Angeles city attorney as a speaker. 1:49:09
- The city attorney gave the National Human Trafficking Hotline number as 888-373-7888. 1:50:35
- Karla Griego asked whether professional development on human trafficking was mandatory, and a staff member said it was optional. 2:04:48
- A staff member announced that tab 20 passed. 2:13:21
- Committee meeting schedule update 2:13:21
- A staff member said the change moved the February 26th Safety Committee meeting from 1 PM to 2 PM. 2:15:20
- Annual comprehensive financial report 2:15:55
- An auditor said the firm issued an unmodified opinion on the district's financial statements. 2:19:03
- The auditor said 14 state compliance findings totaled about $47.7 million in questioned costs, with $44 million tied to the district reaching 54.5% on a 55% classroom teacher salary requirement. 2:19:03
- Tanya Ortiz Franklin asked whether the firm had ever issued a modified opinion, and the auditor said it had not. 2:44:37
- Charter petitions public hearing 2:57:24
- General public comment 3:16:43
- Several speakers at public comment raised student safety around immigration enforcement, school police and funding for the Black Student Achievement Plan. 3:20:05
- Other speakers at public comment asked for PSW funding for all schools, more Holocaust education and board action on student screen use. 3:22:17
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
Other meetings
Other meetings of this board
Video: posted by the district as “Board of Education Meeting”