Board adopts draft priorities for major upcoming budget cuts

What happened

Palo Alto Unified adopted draft budget guardrails and priorities to guide reductions planned for the 2027–28 and 2028–29 school years; no specific cuts were approved at this meeting. The district will bring forward reduction options, with board action on staffing reductions expected by February and March.

Why it matters to families

The framework is meant to shape decisions that could affect classroom instruction, programs and jobs across the district. The board’s action starts the process but does not determine which services or positions will be reduced.

The evidence

At the October 13 meeting, the board voted to adopt the budget guiding values. The presentation said salaries and benefits make up about 86% of the budget and warned that at a $43 million scale, reductions could not be guaranteed to stay out of classrooms. The framework calls for exhausting other options first, protecting students with the greatest needs, and preserving a broad range of programs; staff said reduction options would come to the board in November, with staffing-reduction decisions due in February/March. (Document 116145)

The source