Revised Budget Brings Short-Term Relief, but $1.8M in Cuts Still Loom for Pacifica Schools

Pacifica School District's board confronted the tension between modest fiscal progress and deepening structural challenges at its Sept. 23 meeting, hearing a revised budget that shaved $530,000 off projected deficit spending — only to be warned that $700,000 in mid-year cuts and 13 staff positions must still be eliminated next year to keep the district solvent. Both of the district's unions used the meeting to publicly air frustrations over canceled negotiation sessions, exclusion from budget talks, and a special education staffing crisis that one teacher called unsustainable.

• Revised budget shows $530K net improvement, but $700K in cuts this year and 13 FTEs next year remain non-negotiable

• Both unions blast district for canceling fall negotiation dates and excluding their presidents from the Budget Collaborative

• Special education teacher warns of 25-27 student caseloads, lost counselors, and students in mental health crisis

• Measure T parcel tax renewal becomes existential: failure would eliminate librarians and counselors on top of planned cuts

• Board approves new bond-funded Facilities Specialist position, preserving general fund dollars

The Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Chuck Neidhoefer, walked the board through the revised 2026-27 general fund budget — a presentation that arrived, as LSEA President Megan noted during communications, just minutes before the meeting began.