Huge budgets cuts, enrollment drops: Pasadena schools struggle to rebuild after Eaton fire

"Every single dollar that goes to the Eliot Arts drama and dance programs just means that we can keep doing what we do for the kids,"

"Under the surface there is so much pain, and there's trauma."

Eliot Arts Magnet Academy's theater program lost a substantial collection of largely handmade costumes when the Eaton fire destroyed the school. The Pasadena Educational Foundation awarded drama teacher Mollie Lief and a colleague a $2,000 grant to purchase costumes for the upcoming musical production. The fire burned or badly damaged five public or charter schools beginning Jan. 7, forcing dozens of campuses into extended closures. About 1,100 students lost homes and Pasadena Unified enrollment dropped by about 500 as families relocated. The district faced a $37 million deficit before the fire and approved plans to cut $12 million and later another $24.5 million through layoffs and other austerity measures, and has closed five schools since 2019. Healing for students, teachers and administrators has involved both logistical and emotional challenges.

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