LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho talks with students over lunch in a classroom at Boys Academic Leadership Academy in South Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Born in Portugal, Carvalho emigrated to the United States in the 1980s and worked construction and restaurant jobs. He was a science and math teacher in Miami and later became the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He was hired by LAUSD in December of 2021. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Leaders of the giant Los Angeles Unified School District have been told that enrollment is expected to significantly decrease over the next decade.
The latest prediction in the ongoing decline was presented to the Board of Education in a budget workshop Tuesday.
The outlook comes as the district faces decisions on use of historically high education funding that is expected to be temporary and negotiations with the teachers union, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Enrollment in LA Unified peaked at about 737,000 students two decades ago and has declined over the years to about 430,000 K-12th graders currently.
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Enrollment is expected to drop about 3.6% annually to an estimated 309,000 in nine years, according to the presentation.
“The perfect storm is brewing," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
“Los Angeles Unified is facing an alarming convergence and acceleration of enrollment decline and the expiration of one-time state and federal dollars, as well as ongoing and increasing financial liabilities,” he said.
