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Parents, students urge Long Beach Unified to keep Stevens dual-immersion pathway
Summary
Multiple students, parents and educators told the board that moving the district's dual-immersion middle-school pathway from Stevens to Hoover would create transportation barriers, reduce access for West Long Beach families, and undermine equity and community ties.
Speakers from West Long Beach urged the Long Beach Unified School District board to keep the district's dual-immersion pathway at Stevens rather than consolidate it at Hoover.
"Desde que la inversión doble se va a mover a Hoover, estoy obligado a salirme del programa porque no tengo ninguna opciones de transportación," student Sofía Grace said, telling the board she will be forced to leave the program if it is relocated. Ruby Martínez, another current middle-school student, said Stevens "ha proporcionado" the academic and community support that helped her succeed and asked the board to reconsider any move that would limit access for neighborhood families.
Parents described short notice and practical barriers if the program moves. "Debido a mi puesto de trabajo en tiempo completo, dependo de mi madre que lo traiga y lo lleve a la escuela," said parent Alejandra Martínez, adding that a 55-minute public-transit trip to Hoover would be impractical for many working families. Another parent/educator asked the district to provide an equity analysis and a comparison of transportation costs and student transitions before consolidating program sites.
The speakers connected their concerns to broader equity questions: they said Stevens serves as a neighborhood pathway tied to feeder schools and community supports (Webster and other local schools). Several requested the district explore alternatives used for other specialized pathways—such as multi-site trajectories—so growth can be sustained without forcing West Long Beach students to travel long distances or lose access.
The board paused public comment and moved into closed session after the speakers finished; no formal decision about the immersion program relocation was recorded in the meeting minutes that followed.
