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Pasadena Unified trustees authorize preliminary layoff notices amid heated public outcry over cuts
Summary
Trustees voted to issue preliminary notices tied to a multi‑million dollar structural budget gap after hours of public comment urging alternatives. Community members, teachers and student advocates said cuts to classroom and support staff would harm core programs and accelerate enrollment losses.
The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education voted on March 3 to authorize staff to issue preliminary notices of certificated and classified reductions as the district confronts an ongoing structural deficit.
The action begins the statutory March 15 notification process that gives affected employees formal notice of potential layoffs while the district finalizes which positions will be reduced. Superintendent Dr. Blanco and Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Canal told the board the step is legally required to preserve the district’s fiscal solvency and avoid forced interventions by county or state fiscal authorities.
The decision came after more than three hours of public comment from teachers, parents, students and school specialists who urged trustees to delay cuts, free up one‑time reserves and prioritize classroom staffing. “We are here tonight to stand up for safe, stable, fully staffed schools,” said Beth Ela, a Marshall teacher and UTP vice president. Community speakers repeatedly warned that eliminating music, arts, library coordinators and counseling positions would prompt families to withdraw and reduce enrollment revenue.
District staff said the layoffs reflect a combination of factors: expiring one‑time grants, vacant positions that were funded but unfilled, and a persistent gap between ongoing expenditures and recurring revenue. CliftonLarsonAllen auditors, presenting their annual bond and financial audit, reported that audits of bond measures TT and O found no improper expenditures in all significant respects but recommended stronger internal controls and more timely recording of some costs.
Trustees said the choice to issue preliminary notices was necessary to comply with state law and preserve the district’s positive interim certification. “One‑time reserves cannot permanently close an ongoing gap,” said county fiscal adviser Otavio, who briefed the board on legal timelines and the risks of changing certification status.
Board members acknowledged the human toll of the process. Trustee Trusty Bailey said she had arrived prepared to oppose the measures but supported the notices after staff detailed the district’s fiscal constraints. The board approved the motion to issue notices; the exact list of personnel actions will be refined as resignations, retirements and other changes are processed before final decisions in May and June.
Next steps: staff will complete required notifications and continue bargaining and administrative procedures; the board will consider rescissions of notices if retirements or other openings obviate planned reductions. The district has said it will present program‑level restructuring plans — including any school consolidation proposals tied to the superintendent’s advisory committee — in coming months.
