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Los Angeles Unified board meeting, Aug 25, 2026

3 h 41 min · 39 public speakers

Chronic absenteeism ▶ 36:44Budget cuts and layoffs ▶ 13:47Enrollment ▶ 36:44Vouchers and school choice ▶ 29:57
Meeting video · district archiveLos Angeles UnifiedAug 25, 2026Watch on the district’s video site ↗Opens in a new tab; skip to 0:02

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 41 min.

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

What happened at this meeting

Los Angeles Unified board holds public hearing on charter school petitions 48:41

  • The board held a public hearing on charter petitions under Tab 11, and speakers from charter schools asked the board to renew their charters; action on the petitions was set for a subsequent meeting. 48:41
  • It was announced that the consent calendar passed. 1:57:39
  • During routine personnel actions, Karla Griego asked staff to define restricted positions and explain what happens when restricted employees are not evaluated. 1:58:20
  • Rocio Rivas brought forward a resolution on tab 14, and board members voted yes with one member absent. 2:53:47

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

Item by item (13)
  1. Opening and student board member 0:02
    • The meeting opened with roll call, a quorum, the Pledge of Allegiance and a land acknowledgment. 0:26
    • The superintendent swore in the board's newest student board member, who said strengthening student voice and representation was one of the member's biggest priorities. 1:20
  2. Comments from labor partners 12:47
    • A speaker with SEIU Local 99 said 600 employees with restricted status were without work this school year and that raises due July 1st were not reflected in members' checks. 12:47
    • The SEIU speaker asked the board to rescind the layoffs of restricted employees and immediately honor the raises. 22:50
    • A UTLA speaker said 11 of the 43 charter schools petitioning for renewal are managed by Alliance College Ready Public Schools and asked the board to review Alliance's record before voting. 29:53
  3. School year opening report 32:26
    • The presenter said there were almost 20,000 no-shows and about 13,000 students the district still wants to locate. 36:44
    • A presenter reported a 95.4% attendance rate, a 99% teacher fill rate, over 2.3 million meals served and 1,307 bus routes covered. 37:50
  4. Consent calendar review 41:29
    • A staff member read through the agenda tabs, with questions pulling items including routine personnel actions, procurement actions and facilities contracts off consent. 41:29
  5. Charter petition public hearing 48:41
    • A staff member read the list of charter schools covered by the Tab 11 public hearing and said up to 25 speakers would be heard. 48:41
    • Speakers including charter school leaders, teachers and parents asked the board to renew their schools' charters. 51:45
    • A staff member said the board would take action on the petitions at a subsequent meeting and that there was no action at this meeting. 1:46:30
  6. Consent calendar vote 1:47:01
    • A staff member read a public hearing statement on the Williams Uniform Complaint quarterly report under Tab 18. 1:51:14
    • A speaker at public comment said the Williams complaint form must be posted in every classroom and said the district should fix its compliance. 1:51:24
    • It was announced that the consent calendar passed. 1:57:39
  7. Routine personnel actions 1:57:39
    • Karla Griego asked staff to define restricted positions, and a personnel staff member said restricted employees enter without an exam and are entitled to take an exam after 6 months. 1:58:20
    • Sherlett Hendy Newbill asked about new associate project engineer positions, and the chief facilities executive said the district has about $5.4 billion worth of work under construction. 2:12:33
    • A staff member read a summary of the superintendent's employment agreement, including an annual base salary of $395,867 for a 2-year term. 2:29:37
  8. Procurement actions 2:34:43
    • Sherlett Hendy Newbill asked about the current cost per rider, and the chief procurement officer said it is about $16,000. 2:35:27
    • A staff member said roughly 24,000 students had opted in for transportation while daily ridership ranged from 9,000 to 11,000. 2:36:43
  9. Facilities contracts actions 2:44:52
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to consider natural grass instead of a synthetic turf field planned at Eagle Rock High. 2:46:15
    • A facilities staff member said a district inspector caught defective welding on auditorium chairs and the contractor redid the work at no cost to the district. 2:51:31
  10. Education funding resolution 2:53:00
    • Rocio Rivas said the district is already experiencing the financial effects of declining enrollment. 2:55:16
    • One board member said the district faces one of its biggest financial challenges since the Great Recession. 2:56:22
  11. Co-sponsors and recognition resolutions 3:11:39
    • The board reopened voting on Tab 12 so additional board members could be added as co-sponsors. 3:15:47
    • A speaker described the Women's Equality Day resolution and asked that August 26th be honored. 3:18:16
  12. General public comment 3:20:19
    • After a recess, speakers at public comment asked for a natural grass field at Eagle Rock rather than artificial turf. 3:20:19
    • Speakers at public comment asked the board to prioritize funding for PSWs and to eliminate the school police department in favor of community-based safety programs. 3:26:59
  13. Adjournment 3:36:51
    • The meeting was adjourned at 3:36. 3:39:55

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”