Manhattan Beach schools (MBUSD): the budget and enrollment crisis, explained

A standing guide · updated June 2026

Manhattan Beach's schools are a big reason families pay a premium to live here — and in 2026 the district is cutting teachers. The cause isn't mismanagement so much as math: fewer students, a state formula that pays per student, and costs that keep rising. Here's the plain-English map of MBUSD's money and what it means for your kid's classroom. Each section links our full reporting.

Why the budget is in crisis: enrollment

California funds districts per student who shows up, and MBUSD is down roughly 600 students from its pre-pandemic peak (about 6,521 down to 5,895). At a below-state-median per-student rate, that becomes a structural hole — the full math is in why shrinking enrollment matters.

The cuts: how 40 layoffs became 15

March's notices warned of about 40 teaching positions; the final number landed near 15 after early retirements absorbed most of the gap. How the budget got there, and what's still unresolved, is in our budget-adoption explainer.

Who's in charge now

A new superintendent, Dr. Kimberlie Linz, took over July 1, 2026 — chosen in part for a finance background, into a district running a deficit. Who she is and what she inherits is in our profile.

The Sacramento variable

The biggest swing factor is out of the district's hands: how the state budget funds Prop 98 (California's school-funding guarantee) decides whether any of the cuts get reversed. That's the thread to watch as the fiscal year starts.

What to watch: fall class sizes once the adopted budget's staffing plan is public, and whether a state funding bump restores any positions.

General information, not advice.

Sources

By Jamie Marsh · Pier to Pier

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