Monday, October 13, 2025

As County Takeover of Pasadena Schools Looms, Inglewood’s Journey Provides a Frightening and Cautionary Tale

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district to state overseers if the budget crisis persists

School board trustees were told last week that Pasadena Unified could lose control of the district as early as next year if it fails to convince Los Angeles County Office of Education officials by December that it can close a multi-year, $149.4 million budget gap.

Under state intervention, both the superintendent and the seven-member elected board would lose their decision-making authority.

“The decisions made in the upcoming months will define Pasadena Unified School District’s future,” said Octavio Castelo, Los Angeles County Office of Education’s director of business advisory services, who oversees the fiscal monitoring of all 80 districts in Los Angeles County.

Castelo warned trustees during a detailed presentation that the district’s finances have deteriorated to the point that a state takeover is a real possibility — a fate that befell Inglewood Unified School District in 2012. If that experience is any indication, it could be years before local control is returned to the school district.

By 2022, Inglewood Unified had gone through seven state-appointed administrators while enrollment fell by about 40%. The state took over after agreeing to a $55 million bailout, and the elected school board was immediately reduced to an advisory role. One teacher called the takeover a “total disaster.” After more than 13 years, Inglewood remains under state oversight.

“Those are good people,” board member Tina Fredericks said of Inglewood’s board. “And even with good people that work really hard, it’s still very hard to get out of that status.”

Los Angeles County Office of Education conditionally approved Pasadena’s 2025-26 budget in June, citing “serious warning signals.” The district faces a critical test on Dec. 15, when it must submit its first interim financial report. If county officials determine Pasadena cannot meet its obligations, they could issue a “lack of going concern” designation — triggering escalating interventions that could end in a state-appointed trustee taking full control.

“If you draw a loan, if it’s an immediate cash insolvency issue and we monitor your cash daily … immediately the superintendent loses her job,” Castelo said. “Once that loan is drawn, the board has no authority.”

Pasadena’s fiscal stabilization plan calls for $83.1 million in cuts and revenue enhancements between 2025-26 and 2027-28. County officials said reductions must begin immediately, possibly including retirement incentives and staff reductions by March. Trustees questioned how the district would meet its obligations without a permanent chief business officer.

Despite assurances, Los Angeles County Office of Education officials made clear that Pasadena’s time is running out.

“The warning signs have been there for years,” Castelo said.