The Pleasanton Unified School District has released an updated list of preliminary budget cuts and reductions ahead of Thursday’s in-depth budget discussion where staff have identified additional cuts to district office management, site administrators and stipends for staff.
None of the other proposed cuts, which were presented to the Board of Trustees during last week’s special budget workshop, were removed from the list but the total amount of savings from the combined list of reductions has now gone up from roughly $13.4 million to just over $15 million, according to the updated 2026-27 Reduction Options list.
The school board will now review the revised list and provide staff with additional input and feedback during their Oct. 23 meeting before the trustees return at the end of the month with their own thoughts on what items should be prioritized for cuts.
“This continued discussion represents the next phase in the Budget Reduction Process, designed to achieve a balanced budget for 2026–27 while maintaining the District’s commitments to student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and staff stability,” staff stated in the Oct. 23 agenda report.
According to Thursday’s staff presentation, over the past four years the district has deficit spent nearly $18 million. One time funds over the years have helped offset that deficit spending but now the district’s reserves are low and it cannot afford for its expenses to continue exceeding its revenues.
The district has stated in the past that it must maintain a 3% reserve in order to meet positive certification by the state but that during the last fiscal year, PUSD ended with $1.2 million or 0.55% in reserves.
That’s why the district has been working toward a balanced budget for the next fiscal year by going through this budget reduction process.
During the Oct. 16 special board meeting, the trustees reviewed the initial preliminary list of budget reduction options which proposed a minimum target of $10 million in reductions with a possible maximum range of $13.5 million.
The original list of 60 proposed reductions to the 2026-27 budget included cuts to staff across various departments, reductions for district office management and the phasing out of programs such as the elementary school outdoor education program. Counselors, health service assistants and custodians are just some of the positions being considered under the budget reduction list.
However, during the last meeting, the board directed staff to continue looking at other cuts the district could make in order to keep impacts to students and school sites at a minimum. Thursday’s updated list reflects that feedback in various ways.
One significant change to the list of cuts includes the addition of a proposal to reduce the number of work days for Superintendent Maurice Ghysels, which would result in nearly $8,000 of savings.
Also, following comments from trustees at the last board meeting, the district is now suggesting to reduce the number of work days for district office management and site management by three instead of the previously proposed two days. Reducing the number of work days for these employees would add another roughly $60,000 in combined savings.
The district is also now suggesting reclassifying and reorganizing several director and management positions, which could reflect in over $50,000 worth of savings.
Some of the new proposed cuts to high school programs include a reduction in FTE to high schools for students who enroll in a Regional Occupation Program class, instead of a PUSD class. The district is also considering increasing the Career Technical Education Incentive grant to support staffing costs related to Career Technical Education programs, which would result in $400,000 of savings.
The district is also now proposing to reduce the number of middle school and high school elective courses. While both items don’t bring any direct cost savings, the list notes that this could help with staffing efficiency.
Other newly proposed cuts are under the “Other Reduction Strategies” which include proposals to freeze educational stipends for district office management and site management as well as for certificated and classified employees. Freezing these stipends alone could result in just over $900,000 of savings for the district in 2026-27.
Another significant addition to the other strategies section is a proposal to use one-time committed funds to pay a final installment of the Early Retirement Incentive, which is currently slated to be paid by the district from its unrestricted General Fund — this reduction proposal could net PUSD with roughly $882,000 in cost savings.
According to the preliminary list of reductions, the following positions would still be on the chopping block if they are not ruled out by the board: elementary school vice principals, high school coordinators of operations, middle school and high school secretaries, health service assistants at all grade levels and various types of specialists in science and physical education.
Integration and intervention specialists as well as library assistants were some of the other positions listed for reductions.
Following Thursday’s discussion, the board will reconvene on Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 to give staff feedback on a prioritized list of reductions. Staff previously said the goal is to identify and approve a set of reduction and revenue strategies for the 2026-27 budget by Nov. 6.
The board’s open-session meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 23). Read the full agenda here.
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