Thread: Long Beach School District will lay off about 750 teachers

Long Beach School District will lay off about 750 teachers

By Kevin Butler, Staff writer
Posted: 02/12/2010 11:35:43 AM PST

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Long Beach Unified School District intends to lay off about 754 teachers, counselors and social workers at end of this school year to balance its budget, district officials said Friday.

The Long Beach Board of Education over the last few weeks has approved about $39 million in cuts, including raising class sizes in kindergarten through third grades.

District officials at the Feb. 9 school board meeting shared statistics on some of the layoffs that would result from the $39 million package. But officials said a more comprehensive and exact count would be released Friday.

With larger class sizes in grades K-3, fewer teachers will be needed next academic year in those grades. About 461 teaching positions in the K-3 grades are slated for elimination, district officials said Friday.

Overall, about 470 teaching positions are slated for elimination at the elementary level. About 41 middle school teachers and 145 high school teachers are also being targeted for elimination.

Other layoffs include counselors, social workers and vice and assistant principals. The Long Beach Board of Education is expected to decide whether to approve the list of layoffs at its next meeting Tuesday. Some of the targeted positions are shared by part-time workers

About 30 counselors, 11 social workers and 40 vice and assistant principals also are on the list of layoffs. About twelve employees in the district's adult

education programs will see their positions eliminated.
The district by March 15 under state law must notify teachers and other employees with special credentials whose jobs may be at risk of elimination at the end of the school year.

Teachers will find out in May for sure whether they have been laid off.

kevin.butler@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1308

http://www.presstelegram.com/breakingnews/ci_14390426

Quote:
"LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Long Beach Unified School District intends to lay off about 754 teachers, counselors and social workers at end of this school year to balance its budget, district officials said Friday."

Dollars to donuts no ESL teachers, staff, or administrators will be laid off.