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…