In the Fall of 2018, Pittsburg Unified School District began the process of creating a budget reduction plan. Information about the budget reduction process, timeline, and budget presentations to the School Board can be found on this webpage.

Public Input

• PUSD is committed to being transparent with this process and hosted a Budget Reduction Workshop on Monday, January 15, 2020, where community members and staff learned more about the budget process.
• The public is invited to give their input on programs and priority areas through the District's LCAP Survey.

Timeline for Budget Reduction Process

• February 12, 2020: Results of LCAP Priority Survey were presented at School Board Meeting.
• January 15, 2020: Budget Workshop went over presentation of the Budget Reduction process and the results of District's LCAP survey.
• December 11, 2019: Associate Superintendent of Business Services presented the First Interim Report for Board approval, with the updated budget. 
• April 17, 2019: Board LCAP Workshop. Community members, staff, and families invited to give input on programs, what we are doing well and what we can improve. The latest report on the PUSD budget will also be discussed.
• March 2019: Potential reductions for 2019-2020 will be identified.
• February 11, 2019: Board Workshop on scenarios for budget reductions for the 2019-2020 school year. An update will also be given on current reductions for the 2018-2019 school year.
• February - April 2019: LCAP Workshops will take place with Community Members. Budget prioritization will be discussed.
• December 5, 2018: the School Board’s Budget Subcommittee met and went into detail on the three-year budget and discussed the timeline for reestablishing the Board’s additional 3% reserve.
• November 14, 2018: the Superintendent reviewed the Budget implications for the next three years, highlighting the deficit in the third-year and reviewed the process for the School District's budget reduction.
  
  

Key factors for the Budget Reduction

• California Funding of Schools: California continues to underfund public education. California has the 5th largest economy in the world, yet is 41st in per-pupil funding; 45th in pupil-teacher ratios, and 48th in pupil-staff ratios. You can learn more at the Full and Fair Funding website. The PUSD School Board passed a resolution supporting the California School Boards Association’s Full and Fair Funding Act.
• Pension Funding: All School Districts continue to absorb an increasing percentage for the CalPERS/CalSTRS contributions, approximately doubling over ten years. 
• Special Education Costs: Costs for educating students with disabilities have risen significantly. However, funding from the federal government and the state pay for only approximately one-third of the costs.
• Lower District Enrollment: The enrollment for PUSD is approximately 130 students less than the projected budget for 2018-19.
• Enrollment Projections: The enrollment projections for the outgoing 2 years, including new housing developments, show a slight decline.