Community members joined together on Wednesday to rally in opposition to the reassignment of some teachers at an Altadena elementary school.

Participants chanted and held signs in hopes of swaying the Pasadena Unified School District from moving forward with its plans to reassign teachers from Altadena Arts Magnet school. Organizers of the rally said such a move would greatly impact students who’ve been affected by the Eaton Fire.

“AAM parents say further disruption from teacher reassignments would devastate their children’s sense of security,” organizers said in a statement.

Following the fire, Altadena Arts was relocated to Allendale Elementary School about 4 miles away from its original campus.

In a statement, Pasadena Unified assured that the teachers are not being laid off but reassigned to better fit 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,” the district’s statement read.

“The contract with our teachers’ union requires us to stay within agreed-upon class size ratios. While extra teachers were funded in past years, unfortunately, we are no longer in the same financial position. Making exceptions this year would cost the district over $1 million. The state’s proposed “hold harmless provision” is already reflected in the district’s financial projections and does not address the structural reality of the district’s $30 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

While these adjustments are challenging at any time, in the past, changes were made later in the school, causing greater disruption. This year, we are making the adjustments now, in the opening weeks of school, to minimize disruption and better support students and teachers. Our priority is to deliver high-quality instruction in a fiscally responsible way that protects programs and services for all our students.”

It’s unclear how soon the district plans to reassign teachers or how many educators will be impacted.