Long Beach, California School District to lay off 750

The Long Beach, California School district may lay off up to 750 employees by the end of the school year. The final number of lay offs will depend on retirements, resignations and changes in the financial circumstances of the district. Counselors, social workers, vice principals, 470 elementary school teachers, 41 middle school teachers and 145 high school teachers will receive notices by March 15th of the current school year (per California law). The lay offs are being instituted after $38 million was cut from the schools budget. School board members said that they tried to find alternatives but that state budget cuts made it impossible to do anything but proceed with lay offs.

Next year because of the loss of teaching staff class sizes in the district will increase from 20 students per teacher to 30 students per teacher.