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Los Angeles Unified board meeting, May 12, 2026

7 h 53 min · 51 public speakers

Chronic absenteeism ▶ 36:22School closures ▶ 4:07:48Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 3:13Enrollment ▶ 7:31:14Safety, weapons and police ▶ 2:40:56Vouchers and school choice ▶ 7:02:51
Meeting video · district archiveLos Angeles UnifiedMay 12, 2026Watch on the district’s video site ↗Opens in a new tab; skip to 2:47:16

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 7 h 53 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  2. Scott SchmerelsonBoard President
  3. Nick MelvoinBoard Member
  4. Kelly GonezBoard Member
  5. Rocio RivasBoard Vice President
  6. Tanya Ortiz FranklinBoard Member
  7. Karla GriegoBoard Member
  8. Sherlett Hendy NewbillBoard Member
What happened

What happened at this meeting

LAUSD board denies Today's Fresh Start charter renewal, passes student wellness resolution 5:55:39

  • Speakers from labor groups asked the board to rescind layoff and reduction-in-force notices, and students at public comment asked the board not to cut BSAP staff. 8:02
  • The board also approved renaming Middle College High School after a longtime district educator and former board member. 2:57:56

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and land acknowledgment 0:00
    • The meeting opened with roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance and a land acknowledgment. 0:00
  2. Labor partner comments on layoffs 3:13
    • A speaker from SEIU Local 99 asked the board to rescind remaining layoffs for other classifications after the district rescinded layoffs for the IT department. 4:20
    • A CSEA representative asked how cutting workers without proportional cuts to management made district offices more efficient. 14:51
    • UTLA speakers raised the planned loss of 22 temporary-contract BSAP PSA positions and concerns about leadership at several schools. 36:22
  3. Classified Employees of the Year recognition 1:01:19
    • The superintendent recognized the district's 2026 Classified Employees of the Year, including employees in special education, transportation, nursing, food service and facilities. 1:01:19
  4. Community use of school facilities 1:15:06
    • Staff said the district absorbs approximately $8 million under current rates and proposed rolling out rate increases over 2 years beginning in the '27-'28 school year. 1:22:44
    • District staff described proposed policy updates, including a new student benefit rate for nonprofits that serve students and families without charging them. 1:23:26
    • Nick Melvoin asked for an estimate of increased revenue, and a staff member said it was approximately $2 million; Scott Schmerelson asked how staff planned to improve customer service. 1:38:58
  5. Resolution honoring a muralist 2:01:39
    • Rocio Rivas introduced a resolution honoring a Los Angeles muralist and proclaiming May 12th as a day in the artist's honor. 2:02:08
    • Several board members asked to be added as co-sponsors. ~2:24:55
  6. Committee reports 2:36:13
    • Tanya Ortiz Franklin said the School Safety and Climate Committee would send recommendations, including a bank of resources, more parent engagement and continued investment in community-based safety. 2:40:56
    • Rocio Rivas reported that the Committee of the Whole discussed a proposed social-emotional learning goal and that board members requested data on vendor performance and nonpublic school expenditures. 2:41:35
    • Karla Griego reported on the Special Education Committee's final meeting of the school year. 2:47:16
  7. Consent calendar 2:50:47
    • Public hearings were held on renewal petitions for Colfax Charter Elementary and Westwood Charter Elementary. 2:54:16
    • The consent calendar was set, with several tabs pulled for questions and Tab 27, the minutes, withdrawn to be brought back in June. 2:55:40
    • A staff member read compensation terms for senior management contracts, and a speaker at public comment questioned the salaries and asked for an organizational chart. 3:38:51
    • The consent calendar passed. 4:13:38
  8. Renaming Middle College High School 2:56:13
    • Sherlett Hendy Newbill presented Tab 28 to rename Middle College High School after a district educator who served as a teacher, administrator, superintendent and board member. 2:57:56
    • The school's principal and a student on the renaming committee spoke in support of the change. 3:01:58
    • One board member said they were excited to see the item move forward and excited to support it. 3:28:11
    • The chair said the item passed. ~3:31:36
  9. Donations and nonpublic school contracts 4:13:38
    • A staff member said donated museum vouchers were available to Title I schools that requested them. 4:15:11
    • A staff member said 36 students currently attend residential treatment centers, and 28 attend centers outside the state. 4:19:13
    • A staff member said such placements are an IEP team decision based on student need, with parent consent. 4:22:36
    • The chair announced that Tab 1 and Tab 6 each passed. 4:17:13
  10. Procurement actions 4:23:11
    • A staff member described a no-cost, 5-year MOU with the District Attorney's Office on truancy and said no citations are given. 4:26:12
    • A staff member said 20,000 to 22,000 students each year take virtual courses, mostly for credit recovery. 4:30:08
    • One board member voted no on Item B, the school services contract, and yes on the rest. 4:39:26
  11. Mental Health Awareness Month resolution 4:39:41
    • One board member, a co-sponsor, said school sites are where PSAs and PSWs should be. 4:42:44
    • Several speakers at public comment said the resolves on hiring and scheduling conflicted with the union contract, and one speaker asked the board to postpone the vote. 4:59:16
    • Board members amended the resolution to keep only the first 2 resolves and to add school counselors and school psychologists to a whereas clause. 5:16:37
  12. Student wellness coordination resolution 5:24:15
    • Several speakers at public comment urged the board to pass the resolution. 5:43:30
    • Karla Griego said the resolution aims to align school culture and wellness efforts and calls for exploring a trauma assessment system or equity index. 5:59:38
    • One board member proposed extending trainings to all community and parent representatives rather than only centrally funded ones. 6:13:34
    • The chair said the resolution passed. 6:14:15
  13. General public comment 6:16:22
    • Several students asked the board not to cut BSAP staff or CENI funding. 6:20:20
    • Several speakers called for defunding school police, while another speaker said parents wanted school police on campuses. 6:23:34
    • Several speakers asked the board to act on concerns about the principal at Wilshire Park Elementary. 6:34:32
  14. Charter renewal denial 7:02:14
    • Representatives of Today's Fresh Start Charter School asked the board to overturn the recommendation to deny its renewal, citing academic growth and accreditation. 7:04:18
    • A staff member said the basis for the denial recommendation was operations and finance, citing the operator's past history. 7:31:10
  15. Facilities contracts and vendor ethics code 7:36:42
    • Nick Melvoin asked for a cost breakdown of a shade structure at 59th Street Elementary, and the chief facilities executive said the $178,000 figure was the construction bid, not the total project cost. 7:37:40
    • A staff member said general contractors are subjected to a more extensive due diligence process, which generally costs about $50,000 for those types of contracts. 7:45:50
    • A staff member said the revision removes CWC National as the sole statutory member of the CWC Los Angeles governing board to allow more local control. 7:48:04

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Board of Education Meeting”