By Michael Burke, EdSource, July 1, 2020
Los Angeles Unified will cut $25 million from its school police, reducing the department’s budget by more than one-third following several weeks of protests from Black students and activists who have called on the district to reform its police force.
The district’s school board voted 4-3 late Tuesday to make the cuts, which will take effect immediately in L.A. Unified’s 2020-21 budget and result in the layoffs of 65 officers, in addition to eliminating overtime pay and about 40 vacant positions that the department intended to fill. There are currently 410 sworn officers and another 101 non-sworn officers in the force, according to the department.
The $25 million that is cut from the department will be reinvested into hiring counselors, social workers and other staff that support students, specifically at schools with the most Black students.
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