The paper, the green and the “moo-lah” are permanent hot topics. Money is the thing people love to use but hate to lose. In LAUSD’s case, you can’t lose what you never had.
LAUSD, the second largest public school district in the country, has been particularly affected.
In response to their funding being used as a political weapon, LAUSD has had to allocate their $18.8 billion dollar budget differently in the 2025-26 school year.
Efforts to prevent layoffs and the suspension of critical student services are already underway – LAUSD has to cover a potentially 1.3 billion dollar deficit in the next 3 years by sharing the burden of their approximately 1,500 schools.
However, these initiatives can only stretch so far.
Here at Van Nuys High School, those with keen ears might have overheard a grumble or terse whisper coming from some of their teacher.
Our teachers have all been affected on a grand scale but even so, some are distinctly disquieted.
Van Nuys High School has eight departments, ensuring fulfillment of A-G graduation requirements and supplying their students with a plethora of academic opportunities. There are very few other schools where someone is able to take the “History of American Rock and Roll.”
However, each requires different equipment, supplies and services that are expected to be paid for with the funds we don’t have.
Different grievances arise from each department, but the Health & Physical Education as well as the Visual Art departments are particularly vocal.
The head of the Athletics department, Mr. Dion Coley, and the cheer and swim team coach, Ms. Maria Renard, both expressed the already present and potential consequences of faulty funding.
Without sufficient funding or reimbursements, the sports games Van Nuys High School is able to play dwindles and in the worst-case scenario, coaches are left to fundraise parents to get their players on the field.
However, on a grander scale, Mr. Coley highlighted how he believes supply and facility intensive subjects get overlooked in favor of core classes or allocating funds LAUSD has in surplus to places that don’t need them.
This sentiment was expanded upon by art teacher Ms. Kellie Long-Hayden who noted how even though the visual arts are A-G requirements, they’re also seen as an elective, potentially aggravating how funds are diverted from their department.
Teachers want their work to be recognized but they also act in the best interest of their students. For athletic coaches, they want their athletes to thrive and carve out a name for themselves and their school; for art teachers, they want to assert that student expression is just as essential as typical math and science classes. They also warn of the impending ramifications if district funding remains in the downturn — Van Nuys High School might resemble more of a ghost town than a school.
Not everyone can be prioritized. Ultimately, some scrape by while others are left in the dust. Nevertheless, how funds are allocated raises questions about what the district prioritizes for its students.
When the budget is scrounged up and poured into only a few departments, the contradicting message sent is that those who are overlooked in funding don’t matter as much as those who were prioritized, even if their classes are required to graduate.
Van Nuys High School is not the only LAUSD school that has been affected. We need something more, and at the moment, the district isn’t willing to give it.
In a district 78,000 staff strong, everyone is struggling. Tough calls have to be made and students are ultimately affected.
Van Nuys High School prides itself on being the space where students of all walks of life come together to relish in a rich, diversified academic atmosphere. That narrative is being slowly ousted in the face of an empty piggy bank.
Van Nuys High School needs an equitable environment for its teachers and students to thrive. If the higher-ups don’t see that in this school, they’re missing out on a jackpot.