The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Board of Education announced this week that the district is delaying its in-person school reopening date from Jan. 28 to March 1 due to LA County’s continuing “purple tier” status in COVID-19 infection rates.
But the delay isn’t what drew public comment during the Board’s Dec. 15 meeting. Instead, nearly a dozen affected parents called its new phone-in system to complain about two school conversions.
In a four-to-one vote, the Board agreed to convert two K-8 (kindergarten to 8th grade) schools into elementary schools for students up to 5th grade.
Hudson K-8 School at 2335 Webster Ave., west of the 710 Freeway, will serve only elementary-school students beginning in fall 2021, as will Gompers K-8 School at 5206 Briercrest Ave. in Lakewood.
About a third of the public comments the Board received during its Dec. 15 meeting were from parents pleading with the board not to effect those changes as it would cause hardship.
Commenter Mindy Henderson read a statement from a non-English-speaking parent of children at Gompers about how her eldest student at the school helps the younger ones and separating the children would create a burden on the family.
Other parents complained they were given little notice and one said the board did not consult them in making this “rash” decision.
Converting the schools will offer all middle-school students the same programming and reduce LBUSD expenses, Assistant Superintendent of Middle and K-8 Schools Dr. Christopher Lund said.
Middle schools have options for clubs, course electives and high-school preparation classes that K-8 schools do not, he said.
Middle-school enrollment at Hudson, which had been an elementary school prior to 2007, has been decreasing in recent years, Lund said. It has 200 middle-school students and is the smallest of LBUSD’s eight K-8 schools.
Gompers, which was converted to K-8 from an elementary school in 2005, has also suffered decreased enrollments over the past six years, Lund said, with 250 middle-school students and 70 vacant middle-school seats.
A third of 5th-grade students at Gompers choose to attend another middle school rather than continue at that school for 6th grade, Lund added.
Students leaving Hudson and Gompers due to the change will get priority in LBUSD’s School Choice program to enroll in their chosen middle-school beginning next fall, he said.
Teachers at the two schools will be transferred to another of LBUSD’s 15 middle schools, Lund said, though the staff at Gompers will be decreased due to the school’s low enrollment.
The cost savings that LBUSD will realize as a result of the school conversions is mostly because of lower student-to-teacher ratios at K-8 schools compared to middle schools, Lund said.
In casting the sole dissenting vote against converting the two schools, Board President Diana Craighead said she could not in good conscience support a policy knowing its negative effect on parents and families in the District 5 area she represents, which includes Lakewood.
Former Board Member Dr. Felton Williams, in his final meeting after serving four terms, said LBUSD has to make difficult decisions to keep running, especially since lower enrollments districtwide are reducing its funding.
“Schooling is a very personal issue for parents,” Williams said. “As difficult as it is, the decision has got to be based on what is appropriate for the District.”
Yumi Takahashi, LBUSD’s chief business and financial officer, urged the board to be cautious in its financial planning due to those budget concerns.
Renee Arkus, executive director of fiscal services, said LBUSD has experienced a 3% enrollment loss but only planned for a 2% loss. That has translated to reduced revenue of about $32.5 million this academic year and a projected further reduction of $10 million each year over the next three years.
Pandemic-related federal CARES Act funding of $90 million mostly went toward nutrition services, technical support to facilitate distance learning and custodial PPE (personal protective equipment), Arkus said.
Furthermore, $56 million of that funding will end on Dec. 30 and the District will have to cover those expenses, she said.
Increasing retirement, health and welfare costs, as well as higher operating costs, are further causing LBUSD’s projected expenses to exceed its revenues, Arkus said, noting that Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget to be announced in January may offer some help.
Board Member Dr. Juan Benitez said enrollments and costs are not going to change and the only way to reduce the projected $200 million-per-year deficit is for the Board and community to educate themselves on how LBUSD receives funds and advocate more at state and federal levels.
“We need additional funding, no ‘ands,’ ‘ifs’ or ‘buts,’” he said.
In the meantime, the Board swore into office two new members elected this year– Erik Miller, representing LBUSD District 2 on the Westside of Long Beach, and Doug Otto, representing District 4 in central and south Long Beach.
See related story:Erik Miller leads Tonia Reyes Uranga in early results for LBUSD board seat
The board also selected a new vice president to replace outgoing District 4 representative Jon Meyer. Benitez nominated District 1 representative Megan Kerr and the board unanimously agreed.
Craighead said the board will reorganize again at its usual annual date in July 2021, choosing a new vice president and president from among its members.
Between now and then, Superintendent Jill Baker implored the public to heed official advice by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing during the holidays to help ensure LBUSD can go forward with its new planned March 1 school-reopening date.
“What happens outside of schools actually has an incredible impact on our ability to bring staff and students back into schools,” Baker said.
If LA County COVID-19 cases remain high, LBUSD may have to push its phased reopening again to April 12, she added.
Benitez noted that parents in District 3, the area he represents in southwest Long Beach– many of whom are non-native English speakers– have no problem with the delay, despite issues with remote learning and the digital divide.
“They think their students are safer at home in spite of […] the challenges that they’re facing at home,” he said.
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