Pasadena Unified’s Projected Enrollment Down 4 percent; Funding Not Linked to Attendance This Year

Projected enrollment in the Pasadena Unified School District is down 4.4 percent over last year, but unlike prior years, school funding will not be linked to attendance due to changes in the budgeting process this year to accommodate for the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

With 15,295 students expected to attend school in the district for the 2020-21 school year, based on preliminary projections, enrollment has declined by 713 students, or 4.4 percent over last year, according to PUSD documents. These figures can change once school begins and attendance is taken.

The district saw a decline of 327 students last year. Over the past six years, more than 1,800 students have departed the PUSD, amounting to about 11 percent of the student body. The drop in enrollment resulted in a decrease of roughly $9.4 million in state funding over the past five years.

Normally, a reduction in school attendance would directly result in a decrease in funding, said PUSD Board of Education Vice President Scott Phelps.

“However, there is a wrinkle this year,” Phelps said.

The state budget finalized in June based school funding levels on enrollment from the 2019-2020 school year,” Phelps said.

While school officials never want to see students missing school, the budgetary change assures stable finances during the pandemic.

From a fiscal standpoint, “enrollment trends are not so critical, because you have already guaranteed funding,” said Phelps 

To ensure funding stability regardless of the instructional model, the budget includes a hold harmless for the average daily attendance used to calculate school funding for all local educational agencies. According to the 2020-21 California state budget, “…average daily attendance shall be based on the 2019-20 year, except for new charter schools commencing instruction in 2020-21.”