Families impacted by Eaton Fire rally against reassignment of teachers at elementary school

Thursday, September 4, 2025
PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- San Gabriel Valley parents upset with less teachers at their children's elementary school rallied in front of Pasadena Unified School District headquarters on Wednesday.

After the Eaton Fire, students at Altadena Arts Magnet School were moved to the Allendale Elementary School campus in South Pasadena.

Altadena Arts Magnet students went through the spring semester at Allendale. For the start of this school year, students returned to Allendale with fewer teachers.

"We're fighting for them to give us our teachers back," parent Karrie Brady said. "They have taken teachers at the end of the school year.

"They're taking more teachers now two weeks into the school year, destabilizing our kids' classrooms. These kids that have gone through so much need stability more than ever."



In a statement to Eyewitness News, the district said in part, "The Pasadena Unified School District is making adjustments to a small number of teacher assignments based on actual student enrollment. These adjustments are a standard practice in school districts across California and are necessary to stay within the class size ratios outlined in our contract with the teachers' union."

A spokesperson for Pasadena Unified said no teachers were laid off.

The plan is to have the students return to their Altadena campus in January. Altadena Arts Magnet wasn't damaged but is undergoing clean up and inspections to make sure it's safe for everyone to return.

On top of dealing with rebuilding and opening schools, the district is also dealing with a $30 million budget deficit.


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