Classes are back in session for Long Beach students.

The Long Beach Unified School District’s approximately 64,000 students, along with teachers and other LBUSD employees, returned to campuses on Tuesday for the first day of the 2024–25 academic year.

LBUSD is among the largest public school districts in the state, with a $1.2 billion operating budget and 85 campuses throughout Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill and Avalon.

At Stephens Middle School on Tuesday morning, the new year kicked off with a warm welcome. Some students were nervous and others were excited as they walked past cheering teachers and LBUSD officials holding signs and green pompoms. There was also upbeat music playing as students walked under a back-to-school balloon arch to get to their new classes.

“It’s one of my favorite days of the school year, and that is because it is filled with all of the possibilities that it means to come back to a public school system,” said Superintendent Jill Baker. “It feels very special to see our schools open back up and be such a special place in the community.”

Creating culturally affirming classrooms, offices and schools is also an important part of learning, Baker said. When teachers, staff and administrators bring their identities to work, it creates a more inviting educational environment for the thousands of students LBUSD serves.

LBUSD’s enrollment has been declining since the 2017–18 year, which has caused significant issues for the district’s budget for the upcoming year. For the first time in more than a decade, according to an LBUSD budget document, the district will have to dip into its reserve to grapple with a projected $44 million shortfall.

Despite the budget issues, the district still has big plans for the future.

Alongside the 2024–25 budget, the board also adopted a new three-year Local Control Accountability Plan in June, which outlines LBUSD’s priorities and goals to provide high quality education — with a specific focus on historically underserved students.

LBUSD is also working on implementing its Strategic Vision 2035 plan, which will be rolled out in multiyear phases, the first of which will span 2024 to 2029, according to the district.

Among the new programs going into effect this year, Baker said, the district is most excited about its new Equitable Grading Policy — which will ensure fair and consistent grading practices across all secondary schools.

“I’m excited about learning more about how teachers experience that grading policy and how it positively impacts students, especially students who have struggled,” Baker said, “and what it means to feel like there is hope even if you’re struggling to make a passing grade, and to not feel that when you’re behind that the only place that you can go is failure.

“This policy really sets up the system for thinking about grading differently,” she added, “which also means that adults and those who are in classrooms have to think differently about their practice.”

With a new school year underway, there are always unforeseen challenges, Baker said, but she thinks the team at LBUSD will be ready to address them.

Among the crowd of teachers and LBUSD officials welcoming Jr. Jackrabbits to Stephens were school board members as well.

“We are highlighting a great gem in the west side,” said board member Maria Lopez, who attended Stephens when it was a junior high school and she attended LBUSD. “I think that everyone’s full of energy, enthusiasm, excitement, and ready to learn and teachers are ready to help the kids grow.”

Welcoming about 700 middle school students and helping them find their way around the school was Stephens Middle School principal Eric Cabacungan. Born and raised in West Long Beach, Cabacungan said he was happy to serve his community once again as principal for another school year.

“If you were to ask me to define the term euphoria, that’s exactly what I felt with everyone being here today,” Cabacungan said, “with everyone being a part of the Stephens community, it’s amazing.”

The principal also gave kudos to teachers for their excellence and innovation in serving students at Stephens — which was the recipient of the 2024 California Distinguished School Award.

“We’re all about pushing our students and really tapping into their full potential, because we serve a community of underserved families,” he said. “So, the fact that our teachers are helping to provide access to education that they otherwise don’t have outside of school — that to me, speaks volumes about the core value that we share of caring.”