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Parents and educators urge Long Beach Unified to restore mental-health and library services amid budget cuts
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Summary
At a Long Beach Unified school board meeting, multiple parents, students and educators urged the district to restore wellness-center staff and library positions cut under budget proposals, presenting petitions and local data on inequitable library access. Speakers also questioned spending priorities and asked for greater transparency on contract beneficiaries.
At the Long Beach Unified Board of Education meeting, parents, students and educators urged the district to reverse or reconsider proposed cuts to school-based mental-health and library services, saying those programs are critical supports rather than optional extras. Parents delivered a written petition of 750 signatures and several speakers described students who rely on wellness centers and school librarians for crisis support, literacy instruction and access to materials.
The appeals began during public comment when Maria Teresa Loeza said she submitted 750 signatures asking the board to treat multilingual students as a formal agenda item and to answer written questions about the district's multilingual strategic plan and service restoration. "No se burlen y nunca minimicen el poder que tiene una comunidad," she told the board as she delivered the petition.
Gabriela lvarez Loeza told the board parents and community members were asking the district to restore positions they say have been removed, listing parent facilitators, nurses and librarians among services parents said were lost. Yeimy Baleanos, a former teacher and librarian, cited research and district data to argue that schools with full-time certified librarians produce stronger readers; she described disparities in library visits across Title I and non-Title I sites and said cuts would create measurable inequities in access to literacy resources.
Several speakers asked the board to prioritize student-facing services over noninstructional expenditures. Dana Tushed, a retired educator, criticized extended paid leave for a teacher accused of making racist and denigrating comments online and urged the board to hold staff accountable and redirect funds to students. Neil Malone, an algebra teacher, raised budget questions, saying district reserve figures shared publicly had changed and demanded clarity about travel and outside spending while classroom positions face reductions.
Board members acknowledged the public's concerns during the meeting. Members asked staff for clarifications about which positions were included in nonreappointment lists and about specific contracts tied to the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP). Staff told the board an after- and before-school contract would increase by $60,000 to a maximum of $330,000 using LOP funds but did not provide a full school-by-school student count for every contract at the time of the vote.
The public's appeals concluded prior to the board's adoption of its consent calendar. Multiple speakers called for clear transparency on how district funds and contracts map to schools and asked that the board present contract recipients alongside any vote that authorizes those funds. The meeting record shows community members asking the board to restore student-facing supports, provide clearer public contract details and explain personnel and reserve accounting that informed proposed budget cuts.
The board did not make a decision to restore the services during the meeting; public commenters were told their petitions and materials would be distributed to board members and the meeting moved on to staff reports and votes.
