School Bond Expenditures Oversight Committee Details $18.6 Million Spent in 2022-23 Fiscal Year

The Pasadena Unified School District’s Citizens Oversight Committee reported Thursday that the District spent $18,585,582 in funds raised from previous bond measures during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, with $1.53 million still available to commit from Measure TT. The report did not specify how much funding remains available from Measure O.

The annual report presented to the Board of Trustees detailed expenditures from two previous voter-approved measures: the $516.3 million Measure O passed in 2020 and the $350 million Measure TT approved in 2008.

Next month, the District will ask area voters to consider approving two new funding measures:  Measure R and Measure EE.

Measure R is a general obligation (GO) bond measure that would authorize the Pasadena Unified School District to borrow $900 million for various school facility improvements and housing on a disused school campus.

Measure EE is a parcel tax measure that would raise approximately $5 million annually for eight years to fund educational programs and services.

In Thursday’s report, recent Measure O expenditures dominated, with $14.1 million allocated to capital improvements. Major roofing projects included Pasadena High School ($1,320,454), Muir High School ($1,266,100), McKinley Elementary ($1,252,305), and Marshall Fundamental ($1,107,194). The District also invested $432,554 in IP phone system modernization and installed multiple campus shade structures. A separate $3.2 million funded staff technology upgrades.

The nearly-spent Measure TT provided $1.16 million for projects including portable classroom relocations at Altadena Arts Magnet and a new water chiller system at Pasadena High School.

The Oversight Committee, operating independently from the school board, comprises representatives from Pasadena business organizations, senior citizen groups, parents of District students, taxpayer organizations, and the general public. While the Committee reviews expenditure proposals, it serves strictly in an advisory capacity to the board and the public, acting as a commentary body reporting to the citizens who approved the bonds.

Board liaisons Trustees Jennifer Hall Lee and Kimberly Kenne worked with the Oversight Committee, which recently added members to exceed its minimum seven-person requirement. The panel continues seeking additional representatives from taxpayer associations and senior citizen groups.

Program manager SafeworkCM oversees project execution while the Committee monitors monthly financial reports across two accounting systems – People Soft and Accountability – which showed improved reconciliation this year. The Committee reported minimal change orders during the period, with none attributed to unforeseen conditions.

The Committee recommended improvements to the board report review process and suggested changes to project contingency fund handling, preferring unused portions of the standard 10% contingency return to the general bond fund rather than funding additional work at project sites.

Looking ahead, the Committee emphasized requiring detailed master plans and fully defined project scopes before beginning new work. They will continue monitoring remaining Measure TT projects while overseeing Measure O initiatives through monthly financial status reviews.

Independent auditor Clifton Larson Allen LLP confirmed the financial statements fairly represented both bond funds’ positions.