Pasadena Unified Chief Advocates for District Reinvention Amid Budget Crisis
On Wednesday, Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco launched a series of town halls to discuss Pasadena Unified School District’s ongoing fiscal challenges. Facing a structural deficit, the district must find $30 million to $35 million in budget cuts.
District Leaders Communicate Budget Planning Efforts
Blanco and other district officials addressed a virtual gathering of parents, teachers, and stakeholders on November 5, updating them about the stabilization process. These discussions precede a critical Board of Education meeting scheduled for next week, where decisions on significant financial cuts will be made.
Eight Workstreams Drive the Budget Reduction Process
District leaders outlined eight focused workstreams aimed at identifying necessary cuts:
- Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee
- Central office reductions
- Contracts review
- Grant maximization
- Special education
- Transportation
- Asset management
- Staffing ratios and vacancies
Community-Driven Advisory Committee
Since September, the Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee—comprising teachers, school staff, principals, administrators, parents, students, and local residents—has been examining reductions to school-based services. The committee met most recently in October to finalize its work.
“With every crisis comes an opportunity,” Blanco stated at the town hall. “It’s an opportunity to reimagine, reinvent and do some transformation and not look at this as something that is going to pull us down because we have been stronger together.”
District leaders emphasized the potential to transform challenges into strengths while making the difficult financial decisions necessary to stabilize the district’s future.
Summary: Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco emphasizes transformation and community collaboration in Pasadena Unified’s effort to address a $30–35 million budget shortfall through strategic cuts.