Teachers and advocates clash with Long Beach Unified School District over layoffs

A group of teachers, parents and advocates will hold a rally on Wednesday, Dec. 10 and will speak at the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) board meeting to call on management to avoid any layoffs. 

Garry Morrison, president of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB), said the people affected could not only be teachers, but also librarians, speech language pathologists, nurses, counselors, psychologists and any other union members.

“We know the deficit spending, but we don't think that the first cut should be teachers or people in the classroom working with kids,” said Morrison. “So the rally we're having is to say, if there are going to be cuts, then they need to be from the top, not from the classrooms.”

TALB indicates that layoffs would have a devastating impact on Long Beach’s students and the community. Layoffs take teachers out of the classroom and remove fundamental student supports, leading to larger class sizes and instability in our schools.

Morrison said they don’t have a specific number of employees affected. It could be from a dozen to a few hundred, but there is nothing specific yet. 

He said some of the people who may be affected right away are the temporary teachers who get hired one year at a time and if they don’t get rehired, it will not show as a layoff. 

“That doesn't even make the news, because they never had a permanent contract in the first place,” he said. 

TALB members agree that with $270 million in reserves, LBUSD must exhaust every possible option to balance its budget before laying anyone off and exacerbating the current school staffing crisis. 

Low enrollment affecting LBUSD

Morrison said another issue they are facing is the low enrollment at LBUSD, which keeps decreasing every year. 

LBUSD data shows the decline in enrollment from 69,708 in the school year 2020-2021 to 62,407 in 2024-2025. That is almost a 10% decrease in four years. 

Morrison recognized that the low enrollment is a serious problem at LBUSD. While he cannot confirm that some of the latest absence numbers are due to ICE raids, he said they have been able to see the anxiety of many families in Long Beach. 

“That might be affecting attendance, and that's a serious issue too, because we have a problem with kids who are enrolled in our schools but don't come each day, and if you don't come, the district doesn't get paid,” he said. “I haven't seen anything that relates that directly to fear of ICE, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of it was.”

Long Beach Councilwoman and parent Jeannie Pearce said in a statement, “By preventing cuts in the classroom and ensuring educators feel respected, the district can rebuild trust, improve morale and ultimately create a healthier environment for both educators and students.”

TALB hopes the cuts start with the administrative staff, who are some of the senior staff who get paid a lot more than teachers. This could help reduce their budget by cutting from the top instead of the classrooms.

LBUSD responds

In response to these potential layoffs, LBUSD said they have not issued any notices to employees for the 2026-2027 school year. 

“The staffing allocation process occurs annually and allows schools to align resources based on enrollment, school needs, and available funding,” LBUSD said in a statement. “We understand that staffing decisions can create uncertainty, and we are committed to communicating clearly and supporting employees through the annual placement process.”

The District, however, acknowledged the decline in enrollment and reduced state revenue, which affects school budgets throughout California. 

To support transparency and provide one place for the LBUSD community to access updates, the District launched a budget webpage where information will continue to be shared and updated.