Pleasanton School Cut Backs

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Pleasanton School District Deals with Budget Woes: The Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) must cut $8.7 million from its $120 million budget. PUSD Superintendent John Casey, PhD. conducted a community meeting on Monday and spoke to REALTORS® on Friday at the Valley Marketing meeting to prepare the community for what these cuts may mean in terms of school services and performance. According to Casey, the revenue shortfall is a direct result of cuts in state education funding.
During his presentation at the VMA meeting Casey stated the size of the budget cuts could require the district to lay off more than 100 employees and reduce some school programs. Dr. Casey could not quantify the direct impact these cuts would have on student performance.
In addition to cutting expenditures the PUSD is also seeking additional revenue. A school funding parcel tax is at the top of a short list of potential new funding sources. Adoption of the proposed tax would require a two-thirds majority vote by Pleasanton residents. At this point the District has not made a final decision to place a parcel tax on a June ballot or what the amount of such a tax would be.
REALTOR® Impact: School performance is a major factor in real estate values in Pleasanton. A parcel tax would also directly impact property owners.
Next Steps: The PUSD is actively seeking community input on the budget situation and possible solutions. They are holding a series of meetings over the next few weeks including:
Special PUSD Budget Workshop: Tuesday, February 3 from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the District Office located at 4665 Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton.
Community meeting: Wednesday, February 4 at 7:00pm in the Foothill High School Multi-Purpose Room. Foothill High School is located at 4375 Foothill Road in Pleasanton.
PUSD Board of Trustees Meeting: February 24 at 7:00pm at the District Office. At this meeting the PUSD Board will take preliminary action on how the district will respond to the cuts.
For more information please visit the PUSD website