Pasadena Unified school board set to approve dozens of teacher, staff layoffs
The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday, Feb. 26, is poised to formally approve more than 160 layoffs to certificated and classified employees, part of a massive plan to quell a $30 million structural deficit that has roiled the district for months.
In November, trustees voted 4-3 to approve three packages of reductions totaling around $24.5 million. They were in the areas of school-based services, central office and contracts. According to the district, 161.35 full-time equivalent certificated positions are proposed to be cut. (A full-time equivalent is a term that refers to workforce capacity.)
In Thursday’s vote, board trustees face the prospect of formalizing their earlier actions, setting in motion the cuts. Pinks slips are set to be sent out next month.
“These actions are among the most difficult decisions any school system can face,” Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a message sent to the district community last week. “They reflect careful, deliberate efforts, both at the central office and school sites, to preserve teaching and learning while maintaining financial stability.”
The district’s resolution about classified positions did not include a total number, but a list of impacted job titles included more than 20 types of roles ranging from custodian, gardener, library coordinator and wellness coordinator among others.
Declining enrollment, rising costs and uncertainty in state and federal funding have left PUSD with a $30-plus million deficit, which cut so deep that it prompted warnings that the district would be placed under an L.A. County Office of Education receivership.
Last year, trustees voted to cut 150 positions, though the final number was much lower following a process governed by state law and collective bargaining agreements.
The $24.5 million in cuts came from a process that looked at reductions in eight workstreams, including school-based services, central office reductions, contracts, grant maximization, special education, transportation, asset management and staffing/vacancies. Trustees had the jurisdiction to vote on reductions in the first three categories.
In her message last week, Blanco said the proposed layoffs are part of a path approved by the Board of Education and accepted by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Blanco said the reduction-in-force resolutions must be submitted to LACOE in March.
“By addressing these budget realities now, we are working to protect classroom learning and the programs our students depend on, both today and in the years ahead,” Blanco wrote.
The cuts will be reflected in the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget. Blanco said these layoffs allow for instructional programs, student supports, arts, music, athletics, expanded learning opportunities and services for students with specialized needs to remain in place.
PUSD teachers, students, parents and community members have been present in large numbers at every meeting where reductions were being considered and are expected to voice opposition to the district’s approach Thursday night.
Martin Dorado, a teacher at Madison Elementary School, has worked at PUSD for nine years. Four of those years he received a layoff notice. Dorado, who was named PUSD Teacher of the Year in 2025, received a layoff notice last spring that ended up being rescinded.
“Each time in your head you’re thinking, ‘OK, this is the last time,’” Dorado said.
He said the constant concern over the future of his job is a distraction from the work of serving students. Dorado doesn’t know for sure, but said he thinks he could be getting another layoff notice this spring.
The list of proposed cuts includes more than 25 elementary school teacher positions. Dorado said despite the Board of Education not changing its course in the face of public outcry, it’s important to attend Thursday’s meeting to be part of holding leaders accountable.
“They’re accountable to our community and the people that come into contact with the community are the teachers,” Dorado said. “They have a responsibility … they need to hear from the community. They need to hear from the teachers, they need to hear from the students, they need to hear from the parents, they need to hear from the people that they serve.”
In addition to teaching in the district for nine years, Dorado grew up in the Pasadena education system, starting in kindergarten all the way through graduating from Pasadena City College.
“We should be investing in the humans here within the community,” Dorado said. The teachers, the staff, our students. These are the people that make the district what it is.”
The vote comes as another potentially seismic process has begun that is the result of financial hardship. The Superintendent’s School Consolidation Advisory Committee met this week for the first of several meetings between now and May. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Monday, March 9, from 5-7 p.m.
Last month, the Board of Education voted 5-2 to approve a contract with a third-party contractor to explore school closure or consolidation.
Following the meetings, a community survey and town halls, the committee will bring forward its recommendations to the Board of Education, which has the final say on school consolidation or closures.
Thursday’s Board of Education meeting begins at 4 p.m. followed by closed session. The layoff resolution votes are due to take place after 7 p.m. when the trustees reconvene in open session.