Thursday, May 14, 2026

Pasadena Unified Heads Into Busy Round of Summertime Campus Construction Projects

Two voter-approved bond programs are funding simultaneous projects across Pasadena and Altadena, with Allendale Elementary set to serve as the temporary home for students from three schools

Pasadena Unified School District is entering an active summer 2026 construction season, with projects ranging from a Board-approved $128 million rebuild of San Rafael Elementary to the post-Eaton Fire reconstruction of Franklin Elementary advancing across Pasadena and Altadena campuses.

The work is funded by two voter-approved general obligation bond programs — the $516.3 million Measure O, passed in November 2020, and the $900 million Measure R, passed in November 2024.

As of early 2026, the District had $76.2 million in active construction, was preparing to break ground on $135.5 million in additional projects, and had over $86.8 million in projects in the design phase.

Allendale Elementary, located at 1135 S. Euclid Ave., will serve as the temporary home for students from multiple campuses during their schools’ construction.

San Rafael Elementary: A $128 Million Rebuild

The most consequential capital decision facing the District this spring is the planned demolition and full reconstruction of San Rafael Elementary, located at 1090 Nithsdale Road in West Pasadena. The Board of Education approved the rebuild at its April 23 meeting after a motion by Trustee Kimberly Kenne to table the item — seconded by Trustee Scott Harden — failed.

The project will be financed jointly by Measure O and Measure R. Its cost is roughly three times the original allocation in the District’s five-year bond plan.

The original plan had assumed $118 million to $125 million in state matching funds through Proposition 2, a statewide school bond; however, Trustee Kenne, citing research and consultation with School Services of California, said the new-construction component of Proposition 2 does not apply to projects that demolish and rebuild on the same site. As a result, the District’s application for state matching funds under Proposition 2 will likely not be funded.

Michael Dunning, Pasadena Unified School District’s Director of Facilities, Maintenance, Operations & Transportation, told the Board that construction cost inflation is running at approximately 6% per year and is expected to rise to 8% in 2027.

Trustee Patrice Marshall McKenzie cautioned about cost escalations she described as closer to 20% in her professional experience.

Trustee Kenne noted that Measure R commitments — including staff housing and solar infrastructure — would reach approximately $375 million of Measure R’s $900 million total before the District’s new facilities master plan is complete.

Dunning confirmed that between Measure O and Measure R, the District has the funds to cover everything in the current approved five-year plan.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2027 and to take two years. The rebuilt campus is designed for a capacity of just under 500 students. San Rafael is remaining public school in West Pasadena.

Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco told the Board that San Rafael closure was not among the scenarios the District’s consultant presented or recommended to the School Consolidation Advisory Committee.

Franklin Elementary: Post-Fire Reconstruction

Franklin Elementary is being reconstructed through a design-build process after the January Eaton Fire destroyed its Cafetorium and Administration Building and substantially damaged the site’s utilities.

The campus was one of five Pasadena Unified School District-affiliated sites severely damaged or destroyed in the fire, alongside Eliot Arts Magnet and three charter campuses.

A District facilities update this week describes excavation as wrapping up at Franklin and underground plumbing as starting on a new Administration modular building. Subcontractors have completed a site walkthrough to prepare bid proposals for the Lease-Leaseback Contractor.

A campus move to Allendale Elementary is scheduled for June 8. Construction of the new Franklin facilities is expected to begin shortly afterward, targeting a 12-month build. The design-build project has been listed in the District’s bond program at $15 million in the design phase as of early 2026, though a related procurement document cited a construction budget of approximately $17 million.

John Muir High School: $51 Million Renovation Continues

The John Muir High School Early College Magnet renovation, located at 1905 Lincoln Ave., is the largest active project in Pasadena Unified School District’s bond program at approximately $51 million to $52 million.

The work is targeting completion in September 2026, though a construction timeline published by the project’s inspection service cites an active period of Oct. 1 through May 31, 2027, plus 30 days of closeout.

The scope includes a new 40-meter swimming pool with scoreboard and sports lighting, gym complex upgrades with a new grand entrance, redesigned locker rooms, new HVAC and security systems, and critical roofing replacement. The District facilities update reports that interim housing classrooms are now open, temporary restrooms are coming online, and interior demolition continues across Buildings S, T, and W. Pool deck work is ongoing.

Longfellow Elementary: $37.9 Million Modernization

Longfellow Magnet Elementary is scheduled for a $37.9 million campus-wide modernization beginning in summer 2026, with the school community relocating to Allendale Elementary for the 2026–27 school year.

The scope, as approved by the Board of Education, includes electrical systems; fire alarm systems; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; replacement of windows; new interior finishes; and renovation of restrooms, among others.

Restroom Upgrades, Shade Structures, and ADA Work

Restroom and utility infrastructure upgrades are advancing at Alexander Hamilton Elementary, located at 2089 Rose Villa St. in Pasadena, and Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary, located at 593 W. Woodbury Road in Altadena.

The Hamilton work covers main campus student and staff facilities, with a kindergarten restroom completion scheduled for the coming summer break. The upgrades are part of a $4.2 million Districtwide program of restroom and utility upgrades at five campuses, according to District materials.

Shade structure projects at Jackson and at Daniel Webster Elementary, located at 2101 E. Washington Blvd. in Pasadena, are targeting Division of the State Architect approval in May. Fire flow tests at both sites are complete and currently under review by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, pending approval. The shade-structure program is part of a $3.6 million second phase of installations funded by Measure O. Daniel Webster opened in 1926 and is slated for a $30 million modernization project in the longer-term design phase.

Sierra Madre Elementary and Willard Elementary have received Division of the State Architect approval and are moving forward with procurement for Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility upgrades.

Altadena Arts Magnet, Allendale, Marshall

The Altadena Arts Magnet Parking and Site Improvements project is currently accepting bid proposals, with submissions due in May. The school was temporarily displaced following the January Eaton Fire and was planned to return to its campus before the 2025–26 school year began.

The Allendale Elementary Fence and Tree Replacement project received Board approval on April 23 — the same meeting at which the San Rafael rebuild was approved. The fence and tree replacement is described in District materials as preparing the campus for its expanded role as a swing site for three schools — Longfellow Elementary students beginning in summer 2026, Franklin Elementary students beginning June 8, and San Rafael Elementary students during their eventual rebuild.

The Thurgood Marshall Secondary School Athletic Field and Track project, estimated at $24 million, has reached 100% Design Development phase completion, with plans submitted to Pasadena Unified School District. Marshall is located at 990 Allen Ave., Pasadena.

The Consolidation Backdrop

Pasadena Unified’s school consolidation advisory committee has finished its work without recommending that any campuses be closed, setting the stage for the Board of Education to make the final call on potential school mergers and closures next month.

In a May 12 update, the district said the committee’s recommendation was that “no schools should be consolidated at this time” and stressed that the board has not approved any school closures.

A draft Equity Impact Analysis of possible consolidation scenarios is scheduled to go to the board on May 28, followed by June study sessions for more public input before a planned June 28 vote on whether to move forward with any campus closures starting in the 2027–28 school year.