After months of protest and rallies, over 500 local teachers, counselors, and school faculty member’s fears became true when the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) announced they would be laid off at the end of the current school year. Faculty members from different schools in the district shared their concerns about the potential long-term impact with the Signal Tribune.
The District was authorized by its board of trustees to end the employment of nearly 600 employees on Feb. 18. This decision was necessary to mitigate the nearly $70 million dollar deficit the District is facing, board members have repeatedly stated.
Two separate resolutions were passed: one of which does not renew the contracts of 515 faculty members that the district identified largely as “temporary certified staff.” An additional 54 employees were laid off in a second resolution to end the contracts of classified district positions.
The total breakdown of LBUSD employees being let go is as follows:
- 253 temporary contractors who fill in when permanent employees go on leave or sabbatical
- 240 federally-funded employees with the Head Start program
- 14 librarians or media assistants
- 11 bilingual intermediate office assistants
- Four campus staff assistants
- Four music instructional aides
- Two intensive reading clinic instructional aides
“We have done, in every single department, academics, every business department, at least a 10% reduction, and some departments have faced upwards of a 20% reduction,” said LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker during a budget meeting on Feb. 18.
District faculty members are concerned these cuts will increase teacher and staff workloads as well as negatively impact students’ learning experience and overall wellness.
Behavior and Wellness Impacts
Kennedy Dixon, a counselor at Macarthur Elementary School and a member of the Government Relations Committee for the California Association of School Counselors (CASC), said in an interview with the Signal Tribune that these cuts mean counselors will have to take on additional work.
“My concern, and from our last counselors meeting, we were told that basically we should expect to have additional duties due to the layoffs,” said Dixon.
Dixon also mentioned the layoffs may lead to a lack of access to counselors, and that this could directly impact the classroom environment.
“Counselors are not going to have the sufficient time, and we already don’t, to provide preventative measures to students,” Dixon said. “And the way that will play out, you’re going to see more behavioral issues in the students.”
There are currently 48 counselors serving elementary and K-8 schools in the district. Counselors at these schools provide services such as monitoring attendance, providing conflict resolutions, supporting student achievement and responding to crises, according to a statement from an LBUSD spokesperson provided to the Signal Tribune.
“There have been no reductions to counseling time at the elementary level. Two sites have moved from Title I to non-Title I status, and those schools will see counseling times adjusted,” the LBUSD spokesperson said. A Title I school means 40% or more of the children attending come from low-income families. These schools typically receive more federal funding than non-Title I schools.
Baker described the deficit as “a really grave situation, fiscally.” She said the decision reflects the projected enrollment number for the 2026-27 academic year, which directly impacts the district’s budget.
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Over the last few years, the district has attempted to tackle its ballooning debt by addressing issues such as student attendance. Nearly a quarter of students in the district are chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 10% of instructional days. LBUSD has aimed to address chronic absenteeism through campaigns that encourage students, parents, and teachers to improve attendance.
The Teachers Association of Long Beach emphasized the long-term impacts of the layoffs on a video posted to their Instagram.
“There will be nothing temporary about their impact. Losing these people who work very hard, who are dedicated professionals, has an impact on our community. Kids are going to be missing them when they return,” a TALB member said in the video.
Educational Impacts
Danielle Riniolo, a ceramics teacher at Lakewood High School, said that in her experience, these employment cuts come at the expense of student needs.
“We don’t have enough adults to properly support our students in so many ways; Not just the educational way, but also the physical means,” Riniolo said, highlighting the loss of staff members such as nurses, lunch employees and library aides.
Riniolo mentioned that her school’s library assistant was one of hundreds laid off in February, a woman who she says had a positive influence on the students.
“I’m really sad about it, and so are our students … She’s young, she brings a lot of energy, she has a focus on social justice. And those are the people we’re losing the most when we lose special contract or non-permanent contract employees,” she said.
A Longfellow Elementary School teacher who asked to remain anonymous highlighted the loss of the school’s wellness center, which she said will negatively impact the learning environment as students lose access to a resource that supported their emotional wellbeing.
“If your students are not ready to learn because they need support, then that makes it difficult for the teachers,” a Longfellow Elementary School teacher said.
One concrete impact the layoffs may have: student reading standards. A Washington Middle School teacher who requested to remain anonymous pointed to a decline in student literacy rates as a cause for concern. A report from the CA Reading Coalition revealed that 58% of third-graders in California are reading below their grade level.
The teacher said that Washington Middle School had full library services prior to the employment cuts. Now, they only have a certificated librarian one day out of the week. She added that the decreased access to this resource might be an additional stressor in addressing student literacy rates.
Over 48% of students at LBUSD’s public schools are not or nearly meeting English Language Arts and literacy standards, according to data from Ed-Data.
“My feelings about next year approaching [are] kind of going to be like, ‘Do I want to be in public education?’” she said.
However, the District has remained steadfast in claiming these employment cuts will not cause disruption to classroom instruction.
“We remain focused on making thoughtful, measured decisions while protecting the core services that support students’ academic success, wellness, and safety,” a Long Beach Unified spokesperson said to the Signal Tribune in an email. “We recognize the human impact of these decisions and are grateful for the contributions of the employees affected… These are difficult but necessary steps to plan responsibly while protecting the programs and supports students rely on.”
