During its June 23 meeting, the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Board of Education voted unanimously to approve LBUSD’s 2021-2022 budget of $1.1 billion and related learning plans following months of review.
Most of LBUSD’s funding comes from local and state sources, with about 15% from federal sources. Most of its expenditures—about 75%—go toward compensating teachers, school staff and administrators.
Yumi Takahashi, LBUSD chief business and financial officer, said the State funding portion of the 2021-2022 budget is higher than expected following the pandemic. The budget also includes about $150 million of one-time COVID-19 related grants.
She also said that since California’s legislature and governor haven’t yet finalized the state’s budget, there may yet be changes in store for LBUSD’s budget, even though it is approved.
“That budget will need to be revised when the full revenue picture is known,” Takahashi said, adding that LBUSD has 45 days to submit revisions to the State if needed.
LBUSD’s declining enrollment of roughly 2% per year leaves it “vulnerable” to future budget deficits since part of LBUSD’s regular funding is tied to its number of students, Takahashi said.
Enrollment has fallen from about 86,000 students in 2008 to about 68,000 this year, Takahashi showed on a graph, adding that LBUSD needs to make “aggressive efforts” to get families to enroll their students.
Besides the budget, the board approved two learning plans—a State-required Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and LBUSD’s own Learning and Acceleration Support Plan (LASP) that it developed earlier this year to address its schools’ post-pandemic needs.
Robert Tagorda, executive director of equity, access and college & career readiness, said the LCAP reflects LBUSD’s strategic goals of ensuring equity, a safe place for rigorous learning, academic growth and college and career readiness.
LBUSD must submit its LCAP to the California Department of Education by July 1.
Superintendent Dr. Jill Baker said that contrary to the LCAP, the district’s new LASP is not required by the State but instead provides a coherent learning plan for the district, especially in a post-pandemic environment.
LASP is meant to promote student success through four “pillars”: academic acceleration and support, social and emotional learning and wellness, engagement and voice, and infrastructure for the future, Baker said.
Baker noted that the fourth pillar of infrastructure investment includes not just enhancing the physical classroom but increasing teacher diversity, evaluating programs better, and improving technology through redesigning LBUSD’s website and bolstering online teaching tools.
LASP will be published and presented to the board on July 19 and posted to LBUSD’s website on Aug. 1, Baker said. In the interest of transparency, LASP will also feature an online budget “tracker” updated quarterly, she added.
Public budget engagement is a year-round process, Baker said, allowing for additions and changes.
“Our budget reflects, in the most intentional way, how important community voice is in helping to make decisions over that $1.1 billion,” Board Member Dr. Juan Benitez said.
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Does $1.1 Billion / 68K students = $16K per student?
What is the LBUSD unrestricted Net asset at last year end? That will tell us if each taxpayer is on the hook for paying deficits. I’m curious!! Is our unrestricted net asset upside down? I think it is!!
I believe LBUSD has a negative unrestricted net asset not being addressed. That leaves each citizen responsible for the debt. Can the District address this?