The Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) could lose $7 million to $10 million in State funding next year due to decreasing enrollments, according to Executive Director of Fiscal Services Renee Arkus.
District enrollment has been steadily declining since 2003 by a thousand or more students per year, according to data from the California Department of Education.
In December 2020, lower enrollment of middle school students led the LBUSD Board of Education to approve converting two K-8 schools—Hudson and Gompers—to become K-5 only. The board also approved closing LBUSD’s remedial Beach High School in February last year.
School attendance rates have also fallen in the past year, further impacting funding, Arkus told the board during its Wednesday, Feb. 16 meeting.
This year’s overall attendance rate is currently 90% compared to 95% each year for the past three, including the 2020-2021 year that was conducted almost entirely online, according to LBUSD data.
George Tsai, assistant director of federal and state programs, said chronic absenteeism has doubled from 12.5% in 2019-2020 to 25% now.
“If the kids aren’t here, we can’t teach them,” Board Member Diana Craighead said, adding that absenteeism is one of the challenges created by the current pandemic.
However, in giving the board a mid-year budget update during Wednesday’s meeting, Arkus said LBUSD received $11 million more from the State this year than LBUSD budgeted last June.
James Suarez, assistant director of equity, said the district is spending those additional funds on 91 new literacy teachers, based on public input on needed academic support.
“[Public comments stated that] more interventions—including academic and literacy interventions—are needed in high-needs schools,” Suarez said.
According to LBUSD data, the percentage of students who met or exceeded standards for English and language arts fell from 54% to 46% between the 2018-2019 academic year and 2020-2021. Math proficiency decreased by even more between those years, from 46% to 33%.
The board reviewed data last November showing that a third of LBUSD students are up to three grade levels behind, and the number of D and F grades increased by 14%.
Arkus noted that in addition to hiring more literacy teachers this year, the district also implemented other new supports, including emotional wellness centers at all high schools, additional social workers to support the district’s homeless and foster students, new “culturally responsive” curriculum material, additional English language interpreters, and increased teacher training on literacy.
Lucy Salazar, director of community partnerships, said the district will begin soliciting community input beginning next week on LBUSD’s budget for 2022-2023, which is due to the State in June.
She said LBUSD will ask the community, “As we continue to implement programs and supports, […] what are additional supports that need to be considered?”
“We want you to participate,” Salazar told the public during the meeting.
Board Vice President Megan Kerr praised LBUSD’s increased engagement efforts and transparency around budgeting, calling it “drastically different than how it used to be.”
But Kerr encouraged LBUSD staff to steer the budget conversation away from losing $7 million to $10 million and toward using all funds to support desired programs.
“Our constitutional responsibility with these dollars is to educate kids and support kids,” Kerr said.
