LOS ANGELES (March 18, 2026) — Los Angeles Unified is actively engaged in negotiations with our labor partners and remains committed to reaching agreements that balance the needs of students, families, and staff while ensuring long-term fiscal stability. The District has repeatedly adjusted offers over more than a year of negotiations in response to concerns brought by our labor partners. For example we’ve increased salary offers, proposed reducing class sizes and lowering counseling ratios. We have also offered no further subcontracting of work historically and exclusively performed by Bargaining Unit employees. Our offers are among the highest in California. We continue to work through the formal bargaining process, including fact-finding and collaborative discussions, and will provide updates as agreements are reached or next steps are confirmed.
- The District is offering an 8% pay raise plus a one-time 3% bonus over the next two years.
- The proposals for 2025–2028 would cost an extra $901 million over what we currently spend, with about $448 million in additional ongoing annual costs beyond the agreement term.
- Over the past 10 years, the 20 biggest school districts in California gave an average pay raise of about 30%. During that same time, LAUSD gave a 36% increase—the highest among comparable districts in the state.
- On Monday, February 2, 2026, the District’s labor team and SEIU met with the State Mediator. Prior to mediation, the District sent SEIU a new proposal which included a 13% wage increase over three years.
- The District is offering a 7% pay raise over two years: 4% for 2025–26 and 3% for 2026–27. In the third year, 2027–28, we’ll reopen negotiations.
- The District has proposed additional compensation and support for school leaders, including stipends for certain principals, extra pay for professional development work, protections against pay loss when reassigned, and salary increases for assistant principal roles.
- The District pays 100% of estimated health care benefit premiums for all eligible employees—without requiring any employee contributions toward premiums for themselves, their spouses, or their dependents.
- The average amount the District contributes to health benefits is approximately $22,000 per year.
- The cost of health benefits is expected to rise by 8% for 2026 and an additional 8% for 2027.
Contracts
- When contracts are approved by the Board, there is no "commitment" to spend the entire amount authorized or approved.
- Funds spent on District contracts include construction contracts paid from District bond funds, food contracts paid from district Cafeteria funds, and health benefits contracts paid from the district health & welfare funds.
- Since 2022, the District has spent on average $740 million per year in the unrestricted General Fund on all contracted services. Even this amount includes vital services like utilities and insurance costs, as well as services purchased directly by schools.
- Over this same period of time, the District has spent on average $4.7 billion per year on its employees in the unrestricted General Fund.
Please visit the Labor Update website for more information on negotiations.