Why does overcrowding exist in LA schools?
Mayor Hahn: Los Angeles is the second most populated city in the United States and has the second largest school district in the nation. Over the past few decades, the rapid increase of population in Los Angeles has been a contributing factor to overcrowded schools in our city. Also, the State-mandated class size reduction program, while a very positive initiative for the children, created the need for many more classrooms, seats and schools. Further, Los Angeles and other large, urban cities in our nation face the difficult task of finding suitable space that meets the requirements and regulations for building new schools. Finally, the arduous processes to purchase the proposed property, apply for construction funding, and pass all regulatory hurdles has at times blocked new school construction. The Los Angeles Unified School District (“LAUSD”) has a poor record of school construction, having failed to open a new high school in thirty years, but in the past year LAUSD has developed ne
