PUSD Board Approves Revised list of Board Members’ School Assignments

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved Thursday the revised Board member assignments for 2024.

Parents could talk to the Board member assigned to their child/children’s school if they have any concerns.

Six schools have been assigned to Board President Kimberly Kenne: Altadena, Aveson Global Leadership Academy Charter, Eliot Middle School, Jackson, and Learning Works Charter.

Board member Jennifer Hall Lee was assigned to Norma Coombs, PALS, PHS, Rose City HS, Twilight Adult School and Webster.

Alma Fuerte charter, Cleveland Children’s Center, John Muir High School, Octavia Butler Magnet, Washington Children’s Center and Washington Elementary were assigned to Board member Michelle Richardson Bailey.

Board member Patrick Cahalan will be in charge of CIS, Longfellow, Longfellow Children’s Center, Madison, Odyssey Charter and Odyssey Charter South School and Board member Patrice Marshall McKenzie was assigned to Marshall Secondary School, McKinley, Rosebud Charter, Willard and Willard Children’s Center.

Board member Yarma Velasquez was assigned to Blair, Hamilton, Jefferson Children’s Center, San Rafael, and Special Education Infant and Toddler Program while Board member Tina Fredericks will be representing Aveson School of Leaders, Don Benito, Field, Sierra Madre ES and Sierra Madre MS.

The list of schools under Fredericks originally included “non-public schools” but the Board voted to remove this from the list during the meeting after some Board members expressed concerns.

“My concern about this being on the list is that it affects our students with IEPs (individualized education program). And I do not believe that the Board should be given the number of settlements and all that we have,” said Bailey.

“And based on the fact that they may be placed in a non-public school based on a settlement, I don’t think the Board should be involved with this. I think those parents, if they reach out to Board members, should be directed to the appropriate staff person and not expect it to resolve the matter or address the matter.”

Hall Lee also echoed Bailey’s statements. “When somebody has a problem with an alarm going off at midnight, they’re going to call their trustee.”

“So when you start bringing in a non-public school, I think this is a different entity here. Given some of the issues we have, I think it can become very highly complex,” she added.

According to Cahalan, the distribution of school assignments among Pasadena Unified School District Board members have changed in recent years.

Before, Board members were assigned to whatever schools were in their districts but now the policy has changed in order for Board members to have more balanced assignments that include elementary, middle and secondary schools.