Tuesday, June 9, 2026

PUSD Board Faces Budget — and Looming Consolidation Decision — at Thursday Meeting

Pasadena Unified’s June 11 regular meeting tees up the district’s $30-35 million in reductions ahead of a scheduled June 25 vote on school closures

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education holds its next regular meeting on Thursday, June 11, with the open session set to begin at 7 p.m. The district’s budget — the central, painful conversation that has dominated PUSD’s calendar for nearly a year — is on the agenda.

The district faces a $30 million to $35 million budget shortfall for the 2026-27 school year and a potential deficit approaching $71 million by 2027-28. The crisis is the product of several converging pressures: a structural deficit, rising operational costs, the expiration of one-time COVID-19 relief funds, and the unbudgeted costs associated with the Eaton Fire, which damaged or destroyed five PUSD campuses in Altadena. Underlying everything is a 23.4 percent decline in student enrollment over the past decade, from 17,267 students in 2014-15 to 13,228 in the current school year.

The board is moving toward a final vote on school consolidation, currently scheduled for June 25. A School Consolidation Advisory Committee has been analyzing scenarios under nine equity metrics established by Resolution 2857 in January, as required by state law AB 1912.

In a guest opinion piece in Pasadena Now, Elbie J. Hickambottom Jr. argues that school consolidation is the only path to avoid the further hollowing out of PUSD’s educational and extracurricular programs and to preclude a takeover of the district by the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

The June 11 meeting offers community members one of the final regular-meeting opportunities to weigh in before the June 25 decision.

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education meeting will run on Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m. (open session). For meeting location, agenda and online viewing options, visit https://www.google.com/url?q=http://pusd.us/about/board-of-education/board-meetings&source=gmail&ust=1780919958649000&sa=E. Public comment welcomed.