SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION STUDY COMMITTEE TO HOLD COMMUNITY FORUMS

List of Schools will be Narrowed from Seven to Five this Saturday

Pasadena, CA – The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) School Consolidation Study Committee (Committee) will convene two community forums next week to offer community members the opportunity to learn more about school closures and possible program moves.  Community Forums are scheduled for Monday, October 4, 2010 at the Eliot Middle School Auditorium from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Friday, October 8, 2010 at the Wilson Middle School Auditorium from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Committee will meet this week on Friday October 1 from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday October 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., both at McKinley.

The Committee, composed of 21 stakeholders representing Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre, parent groups, collective bargaining units, school site administration, and other community groups, has held four meetings since September 11 to explore options for school consolidation and closure to narrow the budget deficit. In response to an unprecedented $30 million loss of funding over the past three years, and the prospect of sustained enrollment declines in the foreseeable future, the Board of Education approved school consolidation to help decrease expenditures and generate ongoing revenue to support instructional priorities.

The three-year budget adopted in June identified the closure of a minimum of three schools in 2011-12 to reduce operating expenses associated with excess capacity on school campuses.  The Board of Education established the School Consolidation Study Committee to assist the Superintendent in developing a recommendation regarding school consolidation and closure.  Over the past several weeks, the Committee has reviewed a broad range of information including: a list of sixteen sites recommended for consideration by the asset management report, academic achievement, special educational programs, transportation, and neighborhood impacts.

The Committee will make final recommendations in a report to Superintendent Diaz in October.  Following his review of the Committee report, the Superintendent is tentatively scheduled to make a recommendation to the Board of Education at its meeting on November 23, 2010.

Members of the public may obtain additional information about the school consolidation and closure process, including meeting summaries and documents, at www.pusd.us.