PUSD Board Approves New Set of Staff Layoffs

Although none of the positions eliminated come directly from the classroom, vital auxiliary programs such as Healthy Start, will be greatly impacted. – Screenshot courtesy KLRN

24 positions eliminated, 12 reduced

By Gus Herrera

As another school year comes to a close and students begin to enjoy their summer vacation, the board members of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) have already shifted their focus towards next year, as efforts to chip away at the district’s financial woes continue indefinitely.

At their latest regular meeting on May 24, the board unanimously approved a resolution that will eliminate 24 positions and reduce the hours of an additional dozen, to be effective on July 24.

Similar to their city council counterparts, the PUSD board is faced with a structural deficit – a deficit which has forced them to make substantial cuts and has even precipitated intervention from the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE).

LACOE Chief Financial Officer Candi Clark first sent a letter to PUSD Board President Roy Boulghourjian on Jan. 19, urging the district to take immediate action to restore its required minimum reserves for economic uncertainties. The letter, which described the PUSD as being in “immediate risk of becoming insolvent,” projected operating deficits of $11.9 million for 2017-18, $21.2 million for 2018-19, and $23.9 million for 2019-20.

Less than a month later, on Feb. 8, the PUSD board approved a fiscal stabilization plan that sought to make approximately $6.9 million worth of budget reductions for FY2017-18 and approximately $14.2 million for FY2018-19.

Fast forward a few months later and the situation remains critical. Although Superintendent Brian McDonald wrote in a letter last week that $12 million worth of reductions for 2018-19 have allowed the district to replenish its “state-mandated reserve and end the year with a balanced budget,” much work remains to be done.

In a PasadenaNow opinion piece from April 24, PUSD Board Member Scott Phelps wrote that despite these multi-million-dollar reductions, more cuts will be needed.

“During the next, 18-19, school year, for which over $12 million in reductions has already been made,” he said, “we will be trying to find $8 million in further reductions or more revenue so that we don’t have to layoff more staff.”

Phelps also revealed that the district will have to submit another fiscal stabilization plan in December and that the board will “also be exploring ways to generate more revenue using the district’s properties.”

During last week’s meeting, the board began to explore this idea of generating revenue via district properties – two representatives from the law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo gave a brief presentation outlining the exchange of real property process, in case the board chooses to proceed in that manner.

The board members did float around the idea of using the district offices at 351 S. Hudson Ave. to generate revenue, but those talks were purely hypothetical, as the discussions of potential property exchange are still in embryonic stages.

On the other hand, the recently-approved staff layoffs are very real and, as cuts inevitably are, quite controversial.

Public comment during the board meeting revealed the consequences that will come with the elimination of the five Healthy Start case managers and four community assistant positions (three of which are bilingual).

A representative from the Assistance League of Pasadena urged the board to “please reconsider [the] layoff of community assistants” who discreetly work with families to offer assistance. The representative argued that vital services would “be in jeopardy” – services such as a program that identifies and distributes school supplies to children in need.

Parents from Jackson Elementary also voiced their concerns over reductions to the district’s Healthy Start program, a program which provides assistance to elementary school students and their families.

“These are impactful cuts which sites will feel,” said Board Member Kenne, “but, given where we are in the budget situation, there aren’t that many options that we have left.” – Screenshot courtesy KLRN

Board Member Kimberly Kenne was similarly concerned with the Healthy Start reductions, “I also want to express my concern about getting rid of the Healthy Start centers,” she said, “we’ve been building them up over time … this is kind of a step backwards … it will really be more detrimental to our at-risk students.”

Before it was time to vote on the resolution, Board Member Michelle Richardson Bailey asked Chief Human Resources Officer Steven Miller, “who’s going to take up the slack of extra work when [the] positions are cut?”

Miller revealed that the district will begin the process of negotiating the effects of the cuts “over the next 60 days,” at which point it will be determined whether the work will be dispersed amongst other staff members or eliminated altogether.

In the end, the resolution was approved 5-0 (Board Members Cahalan and Pomeroy absent), although the reluctance was palpable amongst the board.

Kenne made it clear that the layoffs were “due to [a] lack of funding,” and not “due to a lack of need,” and, although the positions that will be eliminated are not directly involved in the classrooms, the effects will still be significant.

“The community assistant, library coordinator, instructional aide, they’re important to sites … while not in the classroom, they really do affect the success of the classroom by supporting it,” said Kenne, “so these are impactful cuts which sites will feel. But, given where we are in the budget situation, there aren’t that many options that we have left. We have to make this decision tonight.”

The PUSD board will meet again on June 28.

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