School District to Provide Update on Measure I Spending

The Pasadena Unified School District will provide an update on the district’s overall fiscal outlook including a report on the use of Measure I funds.

In 2018, Voters overwhelmingly passed Measure I, a three-quarter cent sales tax increase in November, and Measure J, an advisory measure, allocating one-third of that money — $7 million annually — be used to help the beleaguered school district.

At that time, the district had been losing money due to rising pension funds and declining enrollment. Many families left the area due to rising housing costs.

The state’s school funding model is based on student average daily attendance, or ADA, and the ongoing reductions in the district’s student population have been impacting the district for more than a decade. 

The financial crisis left the district on the verge of takeover by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). District officials staved off the takeover by cutting $10 million from its budget.

Measure I raises the sales tax rate in Pasadena by $.0075 (three-quarters of a cent), or 75-cents for every $100 of sales. 

All proceeds are used to maintain vital city services, reinvest in critical city infrastructure and, if voters agree, to protect and strengthen our public schools.

Measure J a companion advisory measure advises the Pasadena City Council to use one-third of all revenues from Measure I to protect and strengthen our public schools.