Thursday, March 19, 2026

Pasadena Unified Announces Town Hall as Committee Narrows School Closure Plan

The March 31 virtual session gives the community a chance to weigh in before a 33-member panel delivers its recommendations this spring

The Pasadena Unified School District will conduct a virtual town hall on its school consolidation proposal process on March 31, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco issued an invitation on Wednesday, inviting community members to join online at pusd.us/townhall.

The town hall arrives at a pivotal moment. A 33-member advisory committee appointed by Blanco has already held two of seven planned meetings and has begun the work of deciding which campuses in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre could be consolidated or closed.

At its March 9 session, the Superintendent’s School Consolidation Advisory Committee voted to remove nine schools from consideration, including John Muir High School, Pasadena High School, and Sierra Madre Middle School. 

The district is confronting a budget shortfall projected at $30 million to $35 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year and a student population that has declined roughly 23 percent over the past decade — from 17,267 students in 2014-15 to 13,228 in the current school year, according to district figures. Five PUSD schools in Altadena were destroyed or severely damaged in the Eaton Fire of January 2025, compounding the financial strain.

The Board of Education voted 5-2 in January to hire Total School Solutions, an educational consulting firm, to help guide the consolidation study. The committee is expected to deliver its recommendations by May. The board is scheduled to vote on those recommendations at its June 25 meeting, with any closures taking effect in the 2027-28 school year.

“It is important to note that no school is slated to be closed or consolidated at this point in time, and that it is possible that the Committee may not recommend any schools for closure,” Blanco wrote in a community message earlier this month.

But parents have voiced concerns about the process, some suggesting they believe their child’s campus has been targeted.

The March 31 town hall will be livestreamed in English and Spanish, and a recording will be available afterward at pusd.us/townhall.

Community members who wish to submit questions or comments must do so by noon on Friday, March 27, through a form available at the town hall link. For more information about the advisory committee, the district directs residents to pusd.us/scac.

The district last closed schools in 2019, when three elementary campuses — Franklin, Jefferson, and Roosevelt — were shuttered in a contentious 4-3 vote. PUSD has closed 11 schools since 1989.

The committee’s remaining meetings run through May 11, with the next session scheduled for Monday, March 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the district office, 351 S. Hudson Ave., Room 151. A separate in-person SCAC meeting is also scheduled for the evening of March 31.