Education Funding News in Brief

Suit Claims Los Angeles Misused Funds for High-Need Students

By The Associated Press — July 06, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District last week alleging that millions of dollars intended to help low-income, foster-care, and English-learner students were diverted to special education services.

The nonprofit law firm Public Advocates and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California assert the district used the funds toward special education costs instead of spending the money on services for the students targeted under a new funding law that provides districts with higher numbers of high-need students with additional funds. The law is considered one of the nation’s largest public undertakings to equalize educational opportunities.

Public Advocates and the ACLU estimate that high-need students were deprived of about $126 million in the 2014-15 school year and $288 million in the next. The district did not immediately return a request for comment.

A version of this article appeared in the July 08, 2015 edition of Education Week as Suit Claims Los Angeles Misused Funds for High-Need Students

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Explainer 3 Steps to Keep Tutoring Going When ESSER Money Runs Out
Schools may lose more than $1,200 per student as enrollment falls and federal COVID relief funds expire next year.
4 min read
Illustration of a dollar sign falling over a cliff.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Education Funding Opinion Foundations Have Given Money to Schools for a Long Time. What's Actually Working?
Investments in one key area seem to be making a difference when it comes to improving schools.
14 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Opinion Education Funders Need to Ditch the Savior Complex
Trust in the input from teachers, staff, community, and students will go a long way toward making initiatives successful.
12 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Opinion Foundations Invest in Public Education. Teachers Would Like the Money Spent These Ways
Philanthropies invest millions on trying to improve student achievement. Educators don't always agree on what they're targeting.
14 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty