LAUSD: Immigration actions affecting enrollment The Los Angeles Unified School District is reporting 7,000 fewer students in its schools this year than expected amid ongoing immigration enforcement activities, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times.

“These declines reflect a climate of fear and instability created by ongoing immigration crackdowns, which disrupt family stability, housing and mobility,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Times. “When families are afraid to be seen, or when they cannot afford to remain in their communities, they are less likely to enroll, reenroll, or stay in public schools.”

While a decline in enrollment is expected, Carvalho said immigration enforcement activities are exacerbating pre-existing factors that are already resulting in fewer students, including housing costs and falling birth rates.

LAUSD, the second-largest district in the country, is reporting a decline in newcomer students over the last three years, dropping from 21,997 students in 2023-24 to 17,342 students this year, according to the most recent data.

Read the full story at www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-29/school-enrollment-plummets-lausd-amid-trump-immigration-raids.

District receives national award for DEI leadership in HR The San Bernardino City Unified School District received a national award from the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, recognizing the district’s outstanding leadership in human resources and steadfast commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

SBCUSD is one of only two school districts nationwide to receive the prestigious 2025 William L. Hunter Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award, which honors exemplary efforts to create inclusive educational environments through human resources practices.

Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, who previously served as the district’s director of Human Resources–Certificated, said this recognition is deeply meaningful.

“This recognition speaks volumes about our people-centered organization,” said Arellano, in a news release. “I’ve always believed that every child is brilliant in their own way. It’s our responsibility as educators and staff to unlock their potential, and that begins with who we hire, how we support them and how we center equity in our work. This recognition validates the systems we’ve built which we continue to refine in order to make that vision a reality across our communities.”

The award was presented at the AASPA annual conference in October in Nashville, Tenn. The awards reflect the extraordinary contributions made by school districts and individuals to the field of educational human resources.

SBCUSD continues to lead with innovation and heart, and these awards further affirm the district’s position as a model for equity-driven, people-first leadership in education.

Bid threshold for district purchases adjusted for 2026 The bid threshold for K-12 school district purchases of equipment, materials, supplies and services will be adjusted to $119,100 in 2026, according to a client news brief from Lozano Smith.

According to the California Department of Education’s Office of Financial Accountability and Information Services, and pursuant to Public Contract Code section 20111, subdivision (a), the bid threshold for K-12 school districts’ purchases of equipment, materials, supplies and services (except construction services) will be adjusted to $119,100, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

The bid limit for K-12 construction projects remains at $15,000.

For those school districts and other public entities that have adopted the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (UPCCAA), effective Jan. 1, 2025 the informal bid threshold was adjusted to $75,000, the formal bid threshold is currently $220,000 and the limit for awarding informal bids is now up to $235,000, provided that the cost estimate was determined to be reasonable.

Golden Bell Awards honor 74 CA school programs Seventy-four outstanding programs and governance practices in California schools have been recognized with a 2025 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association.

The awards were announced during CSBA’s annual conference in Sacramento Dec. 3-5. Now in its 46th year, the Golden Bell Award promotes excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance practices of boards of education in school districts and county offices of education throughout California.

CSBA received 263 entries in 23 categories. Experts from school districts and county offices of education comprised the 71-member judging panel, and a total of 68 delegates and board members across the state conducted in-person or virtual validations.

Read about the winners at publications.csba.org/golden-bell/golden-bell-awards-2025.

Federal funding reauthorized to support rural schools School districts in rural communities with federally owned land will continue to receive vital funding after Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act on Dec. 9. On Dec. 18, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, which will allow this longstanding funding to continue to flow to rural counties and support school districts, roads and other services. The money compensates counties for the loss of local revenue that cannot be generated on tax-exempt federal land. ACSA, the Small School Districts’ Association and many other education associations and school leaders have been advocating to reauthorize the funding after it was left out of the budget Congress passed in March. In an e-mail to members, SSDA credited school leaders’ “relentless advocacy” for the passage of the reauthorization act, including Superintendent Jaime Green and Chief Business Official/Associate Superintendent Sheree Beans, both of Trinity Alps Unified School District. SSDA also called out Eric Bonniksen, superintendent of Placerville Union School District, who visited 51 Congressional representatives’ offices last fall to advocate for passage, and Heidi Torix, superintendent of Eastern Sierra Unified School District, who recently traveled to D.C. with the National Rural Education Association and Future Farmers of America students from across the country to advocate. “SRS is more than funding — it’s a lifeline for small, rural schools to maintain basic operations, fund critical programs, and invest in the next generation,” said SSDA Executive Director Yuri Calderon, in a Dec. 9 e-mail message to school leaders. “Today’s vote is proof that when rural communities and their students stand together, we win.”