LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Families and students have an additional resource Friday after the Los Angeles Unified School District launched a website with information ahead of a potential work stoppage next week.
The district on Thursday said families and students can visit SchoolUpdates.lausd.org for ongoing updates related to negotiations with its labor partners, adding that officials are prioritizing clear and timely communication during the period of uncertainty.
District officials have also prepared contingency plans in case negotiations with three of its unions fall through.
The website has information on food distribution sites, learning and mental health resources, alternative child care options, as well as tech support for devices and connectivity.
“The District remains committed to reaching agreements that support employees while also protecting the long-term financial stability of the District,” according to a statement Thursday from LAUSD.
“Avoiding a strike will require all parties to continue engaging in good-faith negotiations and working toward a solution that is fair and sustainable. To date, the District has reached agreements with five of its eight labor partners and is prepared to work around the clock to reach agreements with teachers, administrators, and service workers,” the statement from LAUSD continued.
LAUSD officials met Thursday with representative of SEIU Local 99 Education Workers, the union which represents thousands of non-teacher district employees.
Blanca Gallegos, a spokeswoman for Local 99, told City News Service that negotiations were ongoing as of 4:30 p.m. She expects talks to continue with a conclusion to be determined.
If Local 99 is unable to reach an agreement with the district, it is expected to strike along with two other unions that are also seeking new contracts as soon as Tuesday.
“A strike is a last resort, and we are open to dialogue with LAUSD,” SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said in a statement.
The local represents the district’s cafeteria workers, special education assistants, custodians and bus drivers.
The district has offered a 13% salary increase over three years, but the union has demanded more.
Local 99 is also seeking more stable work schedules, and to prevent recently announced layoffs to some of its members. The LAUSD Board of Education had approved about 700 layoffs in a bid to address budget issues.
In an interview with KTLA, LAUSD Interim Superintendent Andres Chait said the district understands the importance of the work done by their employees while also being good fiscal stewards of taxpayer money.
“The good news, if you will, is that we continue to be in communication with all of our labor folks. In prior situations like this, there have been times when the dialog has basically stopped,” Chait told KTLA.
Chait added that he expects negotiations to continue over the weekend.
Chait is running the district while Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is on leave due to an ongoing FBI investigation reportedly tied to a company the district hired in 2024 to develop an AI chatbot, which was never fully implemented.
LAUSD has maintained it is negotiating in good faith, and has offered a contract proposal that supports employees while also protecting the long-term financial stability of the district.
The negotiations between LAUSD and Local 99 come one day after talks between representatives of the district and United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents the district’s teachers.
For the teachers, the district offered a one-time bonus of 3% for the current school year, followed by a permanent salary increase of 4% starting July 1, a subsequent 4% increase beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and 2% more on Jan. 1, 2028, according to the Los Angeles Times. Delays in raises could save the district money.
UTLA is seeking a 13% increase of a starting teacher’s salary from $68,695 to $77,670. Additionally, the union is calling for significant increases to the automatic raises teachers receive based on experience and education credentials.
“Our proposals to UTLA alone have an ongoing cost of $480M and reflect significant increases over prior proposals, demonstrating the district’s good faith efforts toward reaching agreements,” the LAUSD said in a statement.
Meanwhile, AALA/Teamsters Local 2010, which represents principals and administrators with teaching credentials, are also seeking a 7% salary increase for the current school year, followed by a 6% increase for the next school year, according to The Times.
The LAUSD has offered a 4% increase instead, followed by another 4% in 2027.
If the parties are unable to reach an agreement, the three unions are prepared to walk out as soon as Tuesday, they said.
Even if two of the three unions reach an agreement, it would still disrupt LAUSD campuses.
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