TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager and City Council to request a presentation from the Long Beach Unified School District to determine the impact of employee cuts to City services and specific areas within the City; and determine an ongoing forum for discussion and information sharing.
DISCUSSION
Under Mayor Beverly O'Neill, the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) met under a "collaborative conversation" between City Council members and representatives from the LBUSD. Additionally, the City Council had requested to have formal joint meetings with the LBUSD Board of Education and the City Council. The collaborative conversation met with mixed results but was not continued under the current administration and the joint meetings requested by the City Council were never convened.
As City Council members, we know all too well the infrastructure, social and public safety impact of having schools located in our community. After cutting its budget in seven of the past eight years, the LBUSD Board of Education approved layoff warning notices for 1,019 teachers in addition to 30 counselors, 11 social workers and 12 adult education employees and certain other employees. The LBUSD is considering the closing of schools or limiting teaching to 4 days a week to reduce the impact of state budget cuts. With more than 20,000 teachers statewide receiving layoff notices, the LBUSD is not alone. We as a city must be prepared for any decisions resulting from the State's draconian cuts to education.
These cuts will be more impactful to schools in the central, west and northern parts of the city since the staff and teachers working in these are.as often have less seniority and, therefore, are more vulnerable to layoff. The city as a whole will experience the impacts of the layoffs as teachers and staff from other schools will be transferred to take over for those who are terminated. Given the severity of this crisis, it is imperative that ...
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