The City of Long Beach is pulling out of WRAP, the long‑running after‑school program it has helped operate for decades, and more than 80 city employees have been told their jobs could vanish in the process. Staff say they were notified at a June 15 meeting that their positions supporting before‑ and after‑school sites are slated to end on August 15, 2026, a timeline that parents and longtime employees describe as abrupt and deeply unsettling.
According to the Long Beach Post, WRAP offers free programming for transitional‑kindergarten through eighth‑grade students at seven campuses and has been anchored by the city’s Parks Department since 2002. Individual sites at Garfield, Edison, King, Grant, Lafayette, Burbank and Herrera typically serve about 85 to 160 students each, with part‑time WRAP staff usually working 20 to 30 hours per week.
District Hunts For New WRAP Operator
The Long Beach Unified School District is already preparing for what comes next. Its Board of Education is scheduled to consider replacement operators at the July 15 meeting, according to the Long Beach Unified School District meeting calendar.
The city’s Parks, Recreation and Marine Department has long been involved in running WRAP programming, a role highlighted in a press release celebrating youth participation in Black History Month events from the City of Long Beach. With the department stepping back, families are waiting to see who will take over and how different the program might look.
City Points To Budget Crunch, Staff Left In Limbo
City spokesperson Jennifer De Prez told the Long Beach Post the move "was made so that the department can focus its limited financial resources." The Post also reports the city is staring down an estimated $61 million budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year.
Workers told the Post they first learned of the WRAP exit plan at the June 15 staff meeting and were informed their employment would conclude on August 15, 2026. IAM Local 947 spokesperson Sashi Muralidharan said the union’s priority is safeguarding employees and maintaining service continuity as the transition plays out, signaling that labor is not planning to sit quietly on the sidelines.
Legal Questions And Labor Fallout
Labor‑law specialists note that the scale of the WRAP staffing cuts could trigger California’s WARN requirements. As Littler explains, CalWARN applies to covered employers at a “covered establishment” with 75 or more employees and requires 60 days’ notice for mass layoffs.
Under SB 617, those notices must also include expanded information and coordination of rapid‑response services with the local workforce board. If the WRAP reductions meet the law’s thresholds, the city would be expected to notify the state Employment Development Department, the local workforce board and local elected officials while arranging reemployment services. Labor advocates and the union say they plan to push for a clear, transparent process as those questions get sorted out.
State Dollars Follow Students, Not Jobs
State support for before‑ and after‑school programs flows through the California Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), which the Legislative Analyst's Office identifies as a primary funding source for expanded learning.
That setup means the money currently paying for WRAP classes is expected to follow students to whichever operator the district selects. It does not, however, guarantee that current WRAP staff will be rehired by the new provider. Families and employees are now looking to the July board meeting and any forthcoming updates from the district and city for clarity on staffing, contracts and what the program will look like when the fall term begins.
