The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education meets Thursday to receive a demographic report that weighs the continuing effects of the Eaton Fire on future enrollment projections, along with a revision to the district’s 2026-27 budget reflecting changes in state funding.
The board convenes at 5 p.m. for public comment on closed-session items and recesses to closed session at 5:15 p.m. The open meeting is called to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room #236 at 351 S. Hudson Ave., beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. All times listed on the agenda are approximate.
Enrollment and demographics
The first of two presentations is a preliminary demographic report. The board will receive an update on the district’s enrollment forecast covering demographic and enrollment trends, birth rates, student mobility, housing development and transfer patterns, as well as the ongoing impacts of the Eaton Fire on future enrollment projections, according to the agenda.
The presentation and its appendix are posted at https://pusd.granicus.com/
Both presentations are listed as information items. Board members may ask clarifying questions, but no discussion or action is scheduled.
45-day budget revision
The second presentation covers the district’s 2026-27 45-day budget revision, including revisions resulting from the State Budget Act, changes to state funding and the fiscal impact of newly allocated restricted resources.
The budget presentation is posted at https://pusd.granicus.com/
Eight litigation items in closed session
The closed session is held under the general provisions of Government Code Section 54957 and lists eight conferences with legal counsel on existing litigation, six of them identified only by case number: 926647, 2026020350, 2026060177, 2026061359 and 961540, the last appearing twice, once as an amendment. Those six are noticed under Government Code Section 54956.9(a).
Two are named and noticed under Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1). The board will discuss Friends of PUSD Trees v. Department of Toxic Substances Control, Case No. 26STCP02387, and Pasadena Unified School District v. The City of Pasadena, Case No. 26STCP02735.
Any actions taken behind closed doors are to be announced publicly before the closed session adjourns.
Reports
Representatives of recognized employee organizations may address the board on matters within its jurisdiction, with comments received as part of the public record. The board may ask clarifying questions and will not act on them.
The student board member delivers a brief report on student activities, also limited to clarifying questions with no board discussion or action. Board committees give brief reports on their activities, one minute each, as information only.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda runs from board policy items to construction contracts.
Board members are asked to act on Board Policy 7110 on the Facilities Master Plan, Board Bylaw 9200 on limits of board member authority and Board Bylaw 9310 on board policies. A further revision of the facilities policy was posted Aug. 5. Also on the list are determinations that local emergencies continue under Board of Education Resolutions 2797 and 2798.
Several facilities items come to the board as ratifications of work or agreements already in motion: a proposal from McCarthy Building Companies Inc. for subsurface utility engineering at Hamilton and Mary J. Jackson STEM Multilingual Magnet elementary schools and Thurgood Marshall Secondary School; Amendment No. 1 for additional geotechnical services with TGR Geotechnical Inc. for the John Muir School gymnasium and pool modernization project; a California Multiple Award Schedule contract with Kya Services LLC for site and accessibility improvements at Allendale Elementary School tied to the Longfellow Elementary School swing space project; Change Order No. 1 with TDV Innovations Inc. for the 2025 fall restroom and utility upgrade at Jackson Elementary School; and environmental consulting services with PlaceWorks for the San Rafael Elementary School campus rebuild project.
Facilities items presented for approval include a lease with Mobile Modular Management Corporation for temporary housing facilities initially located at Franklin Elementary School; architectural and engineering design services by PJHM Architects Inc. for the TOLO Medical Therapy Unit improvements at Wilson Middle School; establishing the Thurgood Marshall Secondary School electronic marquee project and awarding a California Multiple Award Schedule contract to Kya Services LLC for its purchase and installation; the award and purchase of fleet vehicles and operational equipment for maintenance and operations through RFP No. 23-25/26; and notices of completion for the outdoor shade project at Jefferson Children’s Center and the outdoor playground at Webster Children’s Center.
Business items include a contract with the Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles; consultant contracts under $119,100, with a revised version posted Aug. 4; and a counseling services contract with Smith-Stradford Services, doing business as Wellness Works, to provide counseling to special education students and technical support to staff as needed.
Three other business items are ratifications of amendments: an increase to the nursing services agreement with Covelo Group Inc. for the 2025-26 school year, an increase to the staffing agreement with Amergis Healthcare Staffing Inc. for 2025-26, and an amendment to the pupil transportation services agreement with Mission Transportation Inc. for 2026-27.
Under human resources, the board takes up classified and certificated personnel assignments and the approval of new, restored and increased positions for the 2026-27 school year. The instructional trip listing for 2026-27 is also up for approval, as are minutes from special meetings June 18, July 1 and July 16 and the regular meeting of June 25. A revised version of the June 25 minutes was posted Aug. 4.
Public comment and access
Public comment on agendized and non-agendized items is set as a time certain from 6:30 to 7 p.m., with a second period for non-agendized items after the consent agenda. Board comment and reports follow, and the meeting then adjourns.
Speakers must complete a yellow speaker card near the entrance to the meeting room and give it to the recording secretary at the beginning of the meeting, regardless of when they plan to speak, indicating on the card whether they wish to speak during the initial comment period or during a particular agenda item. Speakers are called to the podium by the board clerk.
Individual speakers are allowed between one and three minutes, with 30 minutes total at the beginning of the meeting and 20 minutes total for public input on any single agenda item. The board president may adjust those limits with board consent, and the agenda states any adjustment must be made equitably to allow a diversity of viewpoints. The president may also ask members of the public sharing the same viewpoint to select a few individuals to speak on its behalf. Speaking time cannot be transferred to another speaker. Because of the Brown Act, neither the board nor administration may respond to items not on the agenda, though clarifying questions are permitted.
Written comments may be emailed to publiccomment@pusd.us marked “Public Comment.” They will not be read aloud but become part of the archived agenda documents, and all board members receive copies.
The agenda also lists a teleconference location at 15 Oceanside Drive, Saco, Maine 04072.
The full agenda and attachments are at https://www.boardmeetings.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
