School Officials Report on Proposed Reconfiguration of Burbank Elementary

In an email letter, Pasadena Unified School District Chief of Facilities David Azcárraga reported on District plans for the re-use of the school campus, now closed to students.

Azcárraga said that at the community meeting on June 27, PUSD presented a three-phase plan with a schedule for relocation of district services to the Burbank site. Phase 1, which consists of moving the district’s Mental Health services unit to the Burbank site, is on schedule to be completed this summer. Phase 2, scheduled for December 2011, includes the relocation of three programs to the Burbank site: LA Universal Pre-School (LAUP),  an additional class of Burbank Pre-School, and the Hodges Children’s Center.

Phase 3 requires further exploration and study and will be presented at a later date, Azcárraga said .

Azcárraga also said that PUSD now proposes to accelerate one piece of Phase 2: the relocation of the LA Universal Pre-School, starting on August 31.  The reasons for accelerating this part only of Phase 2, are as follow:

School officials suggest that reasons for accelerating this plan include minimizing mid-year disruptions for special needs students served by the program. Disruptions in routine are very difficult for both preschool special needs students and their families, officials say. The LAUP currently serves 26 preschool students, with three staff members.

The plan calls for teachers who are currently working with LAUP students and who have built strong relationships with parents to be able to move with students to ease the transition. One lives near the Burbank school site, Azcárraga said.

PUSD Early Childhood Coordinator Ree Harris will relocate her office to the Burbank site, allowing for on-site management and oversight, he continued.

Officials plan to move all staff and visitor parking on campus, and off the surrounding streets, which had created congestion when the elementary school was open and served 321 students.  Parents will be asked to drop off and pick up preschool students on the campus to minimize traffic on the street, officials said.

A presentation on the proposed acceleration is schedule to be discussed at the PUSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m.  Azcárraga a said he expects this presentation to occur at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the PUSD Board Room, 351 S. Hudson Ave., Second Floor, Pasadena.