Los Angeles school board passes budget, limits screen time

By Chris Woodward
The Center Square

The Los Angeles Unified School District has approved its 2026-2027 budget as well as screen time limits for students. The limits include a total ban on screen time for students until they reach the second grade.

The $20.6 billion budget and Local Control and Accountability Plan, which passed at Tuesday’s school board meeting, include raises for teachers, staff and administrators. But it is 10% more than the previous budget and exceeds the district’s revenue by $2 billion. LAUSD plans to cover the difference by dipping into its reserves.

Agreements for the raises were first announced in April.

Much of Tuesday’s discussion centered around things such as declining enrollment, rising operational costs and the loss of federal COVID-19 relief dollars. Meanwhile, board members said LAUSD continues to see encouraging progress in student achievement, with gains in key academic indicators and a continued focus.

“This budget reflects important investments in programs that support student success, including ongoing commitments to English Learners and high-need students, tutoring and expanded learning, and workforce compensation,” said Nick Melvoin, representing District 4 on the board.

Most of the budget, $12 billion, will go toward day-to-day operations. Another $4 billion will be used for building and facility renovation projects. Still, some citizens were not pleased that LAUSD cut $25 million from the school police department’s budget.

“There were many parents who asked for more school police, and yet those parents were not listened to,” said Maria Luisa Palma, executive director of Oleada Inc., speaking to the school board. Oleada is an organization that aims to promote parent leadership and hold LAUSD accountable.

In terms of screen time limits for devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, the new policy will be phased in and apply to all K-12 students, but in different ways.

Beginning in August, pre-kindergaten, kindergarten and first-grade students will face a 0-minute screen time rule. In November, third-grade students will start being limited to 20 minutes, whereas fourth- and fifth-grade students will be limited to 30 minutes per day.

Starting in January 2027, students in grades 6-8 will be limited to an hour per subject per week. Also in January, high school students will be limited to 90 minutes per subject per week.

Screens were common during the COVID pandemic and carried over into in-classroom instruction once students returned. Nationwide, concerns have been expressed across the country that students spend too much time on screens and electronics in classrooms, which may be impacting educational outcomes.

“A child sitting in front of a screen for hours is not getting a better education simply because the content is online,” said Melvoin, who brought the resolution to consider the screen time policy.