4:09pm | Officials at the Long Beach Unified School District considered ideas to fire employees and reduce services, increase class sizes and more in an effort to cut more than $155 million over the next two years.
LBUSD has cut more than $170 million over the previous three years.
The special meeting took place Tuesday night to discuss ideas as public education continues to suffer from drastically reduced state budgets. Last week, the district announced they would consider closing two low-enrollment elementary schools in Burroughs and Buffum.
Among some of the cost-cutting ideas discussed Tuesday were the . Class sizes in K-3 could potentially grow to 30:1, while class sizes in Grades 6-12 could reach 35:1. The district may also ask elementary schools with relatively low enrollment to share principals. Hundreds of teachers, administrators, teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors and other staff could lose their jobs.
That’s all a worst-case scenario, says LBUSD spokesperson Chris Eftychiou. In his proposed budget earlier this month, Governor Jerry Brown said he does not want to cut from K-12 public education any further. Brown plans to ask voters to extend as many as five taxes that are due to expire, which would then fund education and other services. In a best-case scenario, that vote takes place in June, passes, and the LBUSD only has to cut $53 million.
Worst case? The ballot plan doesn’t pass the Legislature with at least a two-thirds vote, or at the ballot box, and the district is staring at a $155 million hole. That’s why they’re taking a look at what can be cut now, Eftychiou says.
“We cannot count on that election being a success, so we have to prepare for the worst,” he said today. “If we count on it being a success and it isn’t a success, then were really left holding the bag.”
In a spreadsheet released by the LBUSD today, some of the largest possible cost reductions come from Central Office Reductions at $10 million, cutting Teachers on Special Assignment at $5.7 million, and cutting Adult Education at $3.566 million. Increasing class sizes may be the easiest way to cut, however, and would almost immediately create savings in the tens of millions.