Long Beach Unified plans to cut more than forty positions that help families, including those that do not speak English, navigate elementary and middle schools, as the district attempts to staunch financial losses.
Spanish-speaking families attended a recent school board meeting to voice fears over what these cuts mean for their ability to advocate for their children and stay connected to their schools — as well as concerns about the district’s priorities around English learners, who represent one out of six students in the district.
In recent months, LBUSD has announced a flurry of reductions in staff and programming as it enters a period of austerity intended to mitigate its $70 million deficit. Recent casualties of the tightening pursestrings are the 42 liaisons between parents and schools. These positions were created in the 2022-23 school year when the district had a reserve of Title I funds to strengthen family engagement and support — by leading workshops, communicating with parents across languages and advocating for student needs, a spokesperson for the district said.
Yet the roles were not intended to be permanent and will sunset after this academic year, the spokesperson said. She added that systems of support are now integrated into the district’s schools and that the transition does not reduce the district’s commitment to supporting families who speak multiple languages. Multilingual staff at school sites will remain in place, and translation and interpretation will remain available, she said.
Yet at a January school board meeting, parents took to the lectern to describe the support these facilitators have offered their families — and what families might lose in their absence.
One parent who had recently immigrated from Mexico said that when her daughter started at school, she didn’t speak any English and cried much of the first month. The parent facilitator provided comfort and language support, becoming a crucial resource for the family, the mother said through a translator at the meeting.
Another speaker attended the meeting on behalf of her grandchild, a student at Grant Elementary, in the Nehyam neighborhood in North Long Beach. We fought hard for resources for parents, including the parent engagement facilitator, she said in Spanish through a translator. “Now that we got it, they want to take it away from us,” the translator said in English. “My concern is because of my children,” she said.
Several speakers said that broad cuts the district is making have specific harms to LBUSD students learning English, most of whom are not making progress toward English language proficiency, according to the California School Dashboard. “These cuts increase inequality, affect vulnerable communities more, and contradict the commitment that this district claims to have with equity and student welfare,” said Laura Moso, speaking in Spanish through a translator.
Some parents said in Spanish that they felt “cheated, ignored and discriminated against,” because so many of the resources critical to the success of their multilingual children were going to be taken away — from wellness and care centers to coaches and facilitators who can speak to them in their first language. One parent congratulated the district on the investments in Black student success yet said she did not feel the same commitment was made on behalf of Spanish-speaking students, a “minority that is a majority,” the parent said, referencing that Hispanic and Latino students make up 59% of the district’s students, of which a percentage are English learners.
These cuts come at a time when Spanish-speaking families need more support, not less, said a parent who spoke during public comment. “Many families are scared to leave their homes,” she said, referencing the threat of immigration raids.
Beginning next year, individual schools will be able to use site-specific resources to support family engagement, the district spokesperson said. “Long Beach Unified remains committed to supporting multilingual learners and their families through strong, sustainable systems, school-based supports, and ongoing family engagement efforts across the District.”