Petaluma board adopts $1 million in immediate cuts, outlines $5 million shortfall and advisory process

The Petaluma City Schools Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a resolution identifying a projected $5 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2026–27, and adopted a package of immediate reductions totaling about $1 million intended to shrink next year’s cuts.

The move comes after district staff told trustees that federal Title II, III and IV funds were being impounded and that other one‑time pandemic-era funds have expired, leaving the district exposed to a combination of federal delays, state funding uncertainty and expiring one‑time grants. Amanda (staff member) summarized the district’s analysis and presented the revised set of reductions the board approved at the meeting.

Why it matters: District leaders said the $5 million gap represents about 6% of the district’s budget and that early reductions this year amplify as recurring savings in later years — the administration said $1 million cut now carries the equivalent of roughly $2 million in the following year because of compounding staffing costs. Trustees authorized creation and outreach for a budget advisory committee that will meet at least four times before Dec. 31, 2025, and directed staff to return to the board with an implementation plan and a budget‑reduction timeline in February 2026 as part of the second interim report.

What the board approved: The board voted to adopt a revised reduction package that aims to limit immediate harm to school‑site services while producing the required near‑term savings. Key elements the board and staff described include:

- Preserving a halftime reading specialist at every elementary school rather than the full‑time reading specialists that were added during the pandemic;…