Los Angeles Unified School District
District Partner 2002—2007
ERS has partnered with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to build leadership capacity in budgeting, to redesign middle schools, and to analyze the budget to support effective resource allocation.
Work Focus
2007: To create a resource map to help LAUSD identify and prioritize reallocation opportunities and to examine changes in teacher compensation and central spending over time.
2003: To advise on creating a weighted student formula.
2002: To give principals tools to examine their own budgets and resource use and to support the district’s efforts to improve middle school teaching and learning.
Some Results
- ERS developed the following products and services that built the capacity of 1,700 LAUSD principals to strategically manage resources:
- Designed a training program with trainers, coaches, and materials for principals and assistant principals at the elementary and secondary school level
- Produced three case studies that describe the budget and organization of a typical LAUSD school to engage principals in group discussion and problem solving
- Developed software tools for use by principals-in-training to evaluate their own school budgets according to principles of effective resource organization
- ERS presented the district with a comprehensive report on school budgets, course schedules, organization, and use of time in every LAUSD middle school. The findings led to new designs for middle school schedules that reduced teacher load dramatically and increased time in literacy.
- On behalf of LAUSD and the Los Angeles Teachers Union, ERS conducted an in-depth analysis of the LAUSD budget to determine investment at the central and local administration level, as well as the school and student level. Findings from the analysis were published in the comprehensive report, Strategic Review of FY06 District & School Level Resources. In response to the report, the LA Board of Education convened a first-ever LAUSD Board/Los Angeles Teachers Union Retreat to discuss the analysis and report. They reached consensus on key compensation and central office spending findings and have taken the following steps to implement the recommendations:
- Creation of an Innovation Unit to develop and implement changes recommended in the report, such as increased resource flexibility and high school funding.
- A "summit" of experts to review the efficacy of current English-Learner programs and service delivery.
- Exploration of student weighted funding system to allocate resources to schools.
- Exploration of an extension of the school day that would give sufficient time for common planning and allow for block scheduling at the middle and secondary levels.
