Pasadena School Board Votes To Shutter Cleveland Elementary

PASADENA (CBSLA) – With massive budget cuts looming, the Pasadena Unified School Board has voted to close Cleveland Elementary School.

In a 5-2 vote at its meeting Tuesday night, the board authorized the closure of Cleveland Elementary following the end of the 2018-19 academic year.

At Tuesday's meeting, however, the board gave a temporary reprieve to Franklin Elementary and Wilson Middle schools, although they remain on the chopping block as the district seeks budget cutting options, the board said.

Cleveland Elementary's students will have priority in selecting other schools for the 2019-20 academic year through a special lottery prior to January's open enrollment period, the board stated. The school has approximately 100 students, the Pasadena Star-News reports.

The move comes because the district must cut its operating budget by at least $10 million by the 2020-21 academic year.

"With declining enrollment, flat state and federal funding, and rapidly increasing mandatory costs, PUSD is at a point where tough decisions must be made to 'right size' and permanently cut costs for the long-term fiscal health of the district," the board said in a news release Wednesday.

Last week, the board authorized $3 million in cuts via staff reductions, charging higher rent for charter schools who rent out district buildings and restructuring its school supply system, according to the Star-News.

However, even with Cleveland's closure and the cuts approved last week, the district still needs to find another $6.5 million in cuts, the Star-News reports, meaning that the closures of Franklin and Wilson remain on the table.