By Glenn Sacks 

James Monroe High School is an overwhelmingly immigrant and Latino school that has been hit hard by both ICE raids and the closing of the US-Mexico border, which has cut off our previously steady supply of newcomers.  

We have suffered a sustained enrollment decline. For 2026-2027, our projected enrollment was 1,680 but turned out to be only 1,524, and in response, Monroe has begun displacing educators. 

One of them is Monroe arts teacher Cristal Morales. With her departure, Monroe will lose will three of its strongest drawing cards: 

  • Our Saturday Arts Conservatory, which draws in many local middle school students and gives them a reason to choose Monroe when they graduate middle school. 
  • Our highly rated Mariachi Program. 
  • Our Theater Program. 

Monroe’s biggest challenge is enrollment, and Morales’ programs aid both recruitment of students from middle schools and retention of students at Monroe. 

The Fine Arts Conservatory, which Morales co-founded and has built, provides over 400 students from 16 different local middle schools and elementary schools enrichment in Music, Art, Theater, and Dance on Saturdays, free of charge for all students PreK-12. Students receive 30-minute to one-hour lessons and group instruction, depending on age, and Monroe performs yearly at the CSUN Plaza Del Sol.  

This program has served to improve Monroe’s reputation, and investing in such unique, culturally responsive programs attracts and retains students. There is no one at Monroe who can step into Morales’ role and run her specialized programs — with her displacement, the Conservatory, the Mariachi Program, and our Theater Program will cease to exist.  

This is a tremendous price to ask students of Monroe — a Title I school where 90% of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — to bear.  

We ask that LAUSD fund Morales’ position and keep her at Monroe. 

Glenn Sacks has been at Monroe High School for 12 years. He teaches social studies and is the UTLA Vice Chair. 

A contingent from Monroe High deliver a petition to Local District North West. Less than a week after learning of the Morales’ displacement, students gathered more than 700 signatures calling on the district to fund her position.