The Long Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education voted Wednesday to close Gompers and Edison elementary schools at the end of the 2026-27 school year, a symptom of the district’s declining financial health and likely not the last tough decision on the horizon.
“Responsible stewardship of district resources requires us to look at the big picture,” board president Diana Craighead said. “How do we provide the best educational experience for our students with limited funds?” The answer for her and three other board members was school closures. Maria Isabel López voted to keep the schools open.
The closures stem from the district’s steady loss of students. LBUSD’s enrollment has dropped by tens of thousands in recent decades, draining dollars from the district because state funding is tied to enrollment. After years of this pattern, the district says it has more schools than it needs and can afford for its 59,781 students. As a result, the district evaluated all LBUSD schools and flagged Gompers and Edison as underutilized: each had room for more than twice the number of students enrolled, administrators said…