The Pasadena Unified School District board voted 6-1 on Thursday to approve the layoffs of 151 full-time staff members, despite protests from teachers and union leaders.
The decision will impact teachers, teacher’s assistants, counselors, coaches, office staff, and custodial workers across the district. Many employees and families are still recovering from the Eaton Fire, which destroyed the homes of at least 120 local educators, according to the United Teachers Union of Pasadena.
District leaders explained that the layoffs were planned before the wildfire as part of an effort to address a $37 million budget shortfall. They attributed the financial strain to declining student enrollment, rising operational costs in California, and the expiration of COVID-era emergency funds.
The district is required to issue primary layoff notices by March 15. While officials say these cuts are necessary to stabilize the budget, the decision raises concerns about larger class sizes, reduced student support, and the overall quality of education in Pasadena’s schools.
Earlier this month, a group of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students and former Superintendent Austin Beutner have filed a lawsuit against LAUSD and current Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, alleging that $76.7 million in Proposition 28 funds intended for arts and music education have been misused.
Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the lawsuit claims that hundreds of thousands of students have been denied access to expanded arts and music instruction, violating Prop. 28’s mandate.
One plaintiff, a 15-year-old Franklin High School student, alleges she has never been able to take an arts class at either Franklin High or her previous middle school, Luther Bank Middle School.
