The Los Angeles County Office of Education this week awarded Pasadena Unified School District a positive certification for its second interim budget report, a key benchmark after the district made painful cuts in an effort officials said sets it on a firmer fiscal path.
PUSD received the same certification on its first interim report earlier this year as part of the year-long process that leads to submitting its fiscal year budget this summer.
In a letter to the district, LACOE acknowledged PUSD’s cost saving steps that included approving cuts to personnel and more than $20 million in budget reductions for the next fiscal year.
At Board of Education meetings last year, LACOE officials warned that inaction on the district’s part could potentially lead to the district operations being taken over by the county.
As part of the annual budget process, districts are required to submit financial reports throughout the year to the county oversight agency.
Years of declining enrollment, rising costs and uncertainty in federal funding have combined to put the district in its ongoing financial crisis. LACOE said it continues to be concerned by PUSD’s deficit spending and requested it submit an updated fiscal stabilization plan by July 1.
In addition to staff and program cuts, PUSD is in the process of considering closing and consolidating schools to right-size the district and save money. A volunteer committee is expected to vote on potential closure scenarios at its Monday, May 11 meeting.
Final decisions on consolidation will be made by the Board of Education.
Related Posts:
- At Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Rose Aquatics Center, LA28 Olympics prep work kicks into gear News The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center closed this week as the facility underwent measurement and assessment work toward gaining technical certification for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics. Officials announced the closure would run from Monday, April 13 to Tuesday, April 21, but on Thursday, April 16, said the recreation pool and…
- LA County $48.8 billion budget roll out gets a test run before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday News Los Angeles County’s first budget draft for the 2026-27 fiscal year equals $48.8 billion, removes funding for 81 vacant positions but does not include any layoffs, and drops spending by about 7% from last year’s budget. While the budget for the largest county in the nation is not robust, it…
- LA County supervisors digest new budget, brace for future federal healthcare cuts to land News When presenting his preliminary budget of about $49 billion to his bosses, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, Acting Chief Executive Officer Joseph Nicchitta likened it to a ship’s captain battening down the hatches before an approaching storm. “I would say we are in the eye of a hurricane,” he…
- Russ Vought Slammed for Omitting $2.2 Trillion Deficit in Trump Budget, Didn’t Want to “Confuse the Country” News U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, delivered an opening statement at a Committee oversight hearing on President Trump’s FY2027 Budget request that slammed the President’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russ Vought. Merkley said: “Immediately upon opening this budget, I…
- Trump’s budget director defends White House plan for massive boost in military spending News By KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort to ramp up U.S. weapons production and build more ships, planes and drones will require a massive upfront investment, President Donald Trump’s budget director told a House committee Wednesday. Related Articles Justice Jackson chides Supreme Court conservatives over ‘oblivious’ pro-Trump emergency orders…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)