Up to $11 Million in Budget Cuts Coming for Pasadena Unified School District

Pasadena Unified School District officials discussed at a meeting Tuesday the possibility of up to $11 million in budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year, but did not specify exactly how many jobs could be cut.

The plan to make cuts, which is outlined on right, is focused on central district offices and administration and custodial staff.

Officials say their priority is to minimize the number of teacher layoffs.

"We know that the number one criteria we have is to limit the impact on class size district wide," said John Pappalardo, the district's chief financial officer, at Tuesday's meeting.

That doesn't necessarily mean that no teachers will lose their jobs- the district has a three category system laid out, ranging from minimal impact to the most severe, and the most severe scenarios could involve teacher job loss.

The district is scheduled to hold a study session next Tuesday where officials say they will reveal exactly how many jobs, both administrative and teacher, could be at threat.

The first level of cuts consists mainly of district staff and custodial staff.  Officials said the cuts could mean cleaning classrooms every other day rather than daily.

Special education and several other educational programs appear on the Category II and Category III level cuts.

School districts in California face a March 15 deadline to give notice to teachers who could potentially be laid off for the following school year.  Often teachers are given notice and then not laid off- last year PUSD officials gave notice to more than 100 teachers, but very few lost their jobs.

Superintendent Edwin Diaz noted that the district has made $32 million in cuts in recent years.

"Everything that would considered even somewhat of a luxury has been gone over the years," Diaz said at the meeting.

Board members all acknowledged that the district's fiscal outlook does not look good.  Board member Renatta Cooper called the proposed cuts "all pretty dismal."

Several board members asked for more details on what the plans would mean for employees, and officials promised to release those details next week.

Cooper said that oftentimes members of the public think teaching jobs are being cut while administrative staff jobs are not.

"We continually hear a concern that there are not significant administrative cuts.," Cooper said. "I think it is going to be important as you start publicizing this that you be specific about where that is happening.....people don’t believe that it is really happening.:

Kim Kenne, a in the upcoming election, spoke during the public comment session and said the district should release a more detailed plan soon.

"There isn’t a lot of detail here, and a lot of these are not very specific, " Kenne said.  I think if we do want people to understand what we’re cutting we need to be more specific....it’s hard for people to grasp."