The Los Angeles Unified School District is facing a crisis that’s been a long time coming. This district, once bustling with students, now sees its enrollment shrinking faster than a deflated balloon. Over the past decade, the student body has shrunk by 27%. At this rate, they might need to start giving away free tacos at lunch just to fill the classrooms. But it seems like they’re too busy teaching kids about subjects parents didn’t sign up for, rather than focusing on academic excellence.
Parents are voting with their feet, pulling their kids from schools that appear more interested in pushing political agendas than ensuring students can read at grade level. Here’s a head-scratcher: 57% of students in the district aren’t proficient in English and 67% aren’t proficient in math. Given those stats, one might think improving these numbers would be a top priority. But apparently, it’s more important to have lessons on identity crises than on solving quadratic equations.
Meandering through the district, one finds a grim landscape of underutilized schools—ghost towns for students who never came to class. In fact, while student numbers have plummeted by hundreds of thousands, the actual number of schools has barely changed. You’ve got schools operating like skeleton crews, with more empty seats than a theater showing a documentary on grass growing.
And then there’s the heartbreaking tragedy of the shooting that claimed the life of young Fletcher Merkel. It’s a sobering reminder of a far larger issue—our schools, once considered refuge and beacon of hope and learning, are not impervious to the violence and chaos that seem to corrode our cities. Parents have a reasonable expectation for safety, not just sound education, when they send their kids to school. Instead, some schools feel less like centers of learning and more like scenes from an apocalyptic movie.
Perhaps the most tragic irony is how discussions of crime and safety seem to ebb and flow with political convenience. Leaders jump at the chance to decry crime only when the timing fits their narrative, ignoring how their policies and rhetoric—or lack thereof—have contributed to a culture where moral and educational decay are too often the norm. It’s high time for communities to reclaim their schools, demand accountability, and ensure the success and safety of their children. That means less politicking and more practical action to restore education—not ideologies—to its deserved pedestal.
