UPDATED 6:00pm | LBUSD spokesperson Chris Eftychiou told the Long Beach Post this evening LBUSD has “cut nearly $170 million in the past three years with the looming possibility of cutting another $150 million to meet the demands of decreased state funding and declining student enrollment.” The possible closures of Burroughs and Buffum elementary schools will save the district nearly $1 million per year.
In separate letters to Burroughs and Buffum parents, Superintendent Steinhauser spoke to the issue of what happens to the students if the schools close: “The reasons for our recommendation include the fact that these schools have relatively small numbers of students. In both cases, other nearby schools have the capacity to serve these students.”
As for the teachers, Eftychiou told the Long Beach Post: “Burroughs and Buffum elementary teachers will go through a ‘reassignment process’ to place them at other schools in the district. Regarding the future plans of the two school locations, Eftychiou said the district will “possibly consider the relocation of other district operations to the two locations,” something the district he said has done in the past as a cost cutting measure relating to operational leases.
4:15pm | The Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education will review a proposal on Tuesday to close Burroughs and Buffum elementary schools. In a statement, LBUSD calls the the proposed closures possible “due to the state’s repeated and massive cuts to public education.” The Board’s agenda item on Tuesday will be for information, not for action. Any school board vote would happen at a subsequent meeting.
In a letter to parents, LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser said, “The State of California’s massive budget cuts to public education have caused the Long Beach Unified School District to reduce its own budget significantly in recent years. Unfortunately, the state budget continues to worsen, with a $28 billion deficit projected in the coming months. The result is that our schools must find additional ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency.”
The proposed school closures will be discussed as part of this agenda item on budget cuts. Buffum has 293 students and is located at 2350 Ximeno Ave. in Long Beach. Burroughs has 296 students and is located at 1260 E. 33rd St. in Signal Hill. Both schools first opened in 1950.
Click here to view the LBUSD letter to Buffum parents.
Click here to view the LBUSD letter to Burroughs parents.
The Board of Education will meet Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 5:00pm in the Community Room of the District Administration Building, 1515 Hughes Way, Long Beach.
Buffum Elementary
Burroughs Elementary