The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education voted last week to direct Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco to present a district transformation process by Nov. 19, a step many residents fear will lead to school closures across Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre.
The board approved the measure on Oct. 22 only after amending its language, changing “district transformation plan” to “district transformation process” and adding a target date for forming a staff-facilitated community committee. The change was intended to signal that the district is establishing a procedure rather than a finished plan for school closures.
The vote followed more than an hour of public comment in which speaker after speaker urged the board to slow down.
“Why the rush?” one resident asked, citing Blanco’s own earlier statement that waiting six months could help rebuild community trust.
Another commenter called the item “vague” and “open ended,” warning that rushing a closure plan was inappropriate.
Board members were sharply divided, which included a failed motion to table the item until a separate visioning process was complete, and the amended motion ultimately passed.
Trustee Patrice Marshall McKenzie argued the district should complete its visioning work first, comparing the sequence to solving an equation: “If you solve your equation without the right steps, you’ll get an answer, but it won’t be the correct one,” she said.
Superintendent Blanco told the board she would recommend a sequential process, with visioning first and the community committee afterward, and cited staff capacity as a concern given the district’s ongoing transition to a new payroll and human resources system.
In other action, the board approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with CWL Development Co. for the former Linda Vista Elementary School property at 1259 Linda Vista Ave., a deal representing $500,000 in contracted revenue from the developer. The agreement gives CWL a 12-month exclusive negotiating period with a $250,000 initial deposit and a possible second $250,000 deposit.
Several residents opposed the agreement as premature, arguing the site has sat vacant for more than 20 years and that a community meeting and traffic study should come first.
Board members defended the process, with Trustee Yarma Velázquez Vargas citing a meeting with more than 120 neighbors and survey feedback.
The board also formally supported Proposition 3, a measure on Tuesday’s ballot that would make permanent existing state income tax rates on high-income earners.
Chief Business Officer Arik Avanesyans said the district’s share of Education Protection Account funding is nearly $34.5 million for the year, money that would be lost if the funding were to sunset.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.