Los Angeles Unified has signed off on another $30.5 million in settlements for 19 former Miramonte Elementary School students who say they were sexually abused by ex-teacher Mark Berndt, pushing the district’s total payouts tied to his crimes to more than $200 million, according to attorneys. The suits involve former third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students and describe abuse stretching from the late 1980s through 2011, including accounts of the infamous classroom “tasting game.” Berndt is serving a 25-year prison term after pleading no contest to multiple counts of lewd conduct.
“Fourteen years later, victims are still coming forward, and that is remarkable,” attorney Morgan Stewart said, calling the latest settlement part of survivors’ long-running push for accountability, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The $30.5 million package resolves claims from 19 former Miramonte students and stacks on top of earlier payouts tied to the same teacher. Lawyers say years of litigation have repeatedly surfaced complaints that were dismissed or ignored at the time.
How the District Is Financing the Tab
To cover mounting settlements, district leaders have leaned on long-term borrowing and judgment-obligation bonds, a strategy that softens the immediate budget hit but increases debt costs in the years ahead. A report from the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team details how claims filed under AB 218 have overwhelmed traditional insurance and points to tools such as emergency state apportionments or a statewide victims’ compensation fund as ways to keep settlements from crowding out classroom spending. The report warns that these financing moves could push the real cost onto future budgets and effectively make state lawmakers the final decision-makers on how relief is structured for districts and victims. FCMAT
Miramonte’s Long Trail of Settlements
The Miramonte scandal has already generated a string of large settlements over the years. In 2014, the district agreed to roughly $139.25 million to resolve claims from dozens of families, and earlier agreements covered other groups of victims. Berndt taught at Miramonte from 1979 to 2011, was arrested in 2012, and pleaded no contest in 2013 to 23 counts of lewd conduct; he is now serving a 25-year sentence. The latest settlement marks another chapter in a legal saga that has unfolded over decades. LA School Report
A Statewide Reckoning
Assembly Bill 218 and related law changes opened a revival window that triggered a wave of sex abuse claims against school districts across California. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that more than 1,100 victims had filed suits and that about $700 million had been paid in settlements since 2020. The same reporting found that LAUSD has shouldered a large share of those payouts and that statewide estimates of potential liability run into the billions, ratcheting up pressure on district budgets and fueling a policy battle in Sacramento. On one side are survivor advocates pressing for full accountability; on the other are officials warning that open-ended exposure could threaten classroom services and local control.
What Comes Next for Students and Lawmakers
State lawmakers now face competing demands. Survivor advocates resist any caps that might limit compensation, while districts are pushing for financial relief or new borrowing tools to avoid deep cuts to programs. The FCMAT report urges the Legislature to weigh options that include a statewide victims’ compensation fund, technical assistance for districts, and broader financing pathways aimed at resolving claims while preserving classroom services. How Sacramento responds will determine whether local districts or the state ultimately shoulder most of the long-term fiscal burden. FCMAT
For families, each settlement represents a formal acknowledgment of harm that can never fully be undone. For LAUSD, the growing tab is a budget problem with real consequences for staffing and services in the years ahead. With more claims still moving through the system, the financial and political fallout is likely to remain front and center in California’s debates over school funding and child-protection policy.
