Thursday, May 28, 2026

Blair Supporters Rally Today as PUSD Board Moves School Closures Process Forward

[Photo credit: PUSD]

The advisory committee voted down all six consolidation proposals, but the board retains authority to act before a June 25 vote

Blair High School parents and students plan to rally at 4:30 p.m. outside PUSD headquarters at 351 S. Hudson Ave. before the board’s regular meeting, urging the board to keep Blair High and Middle Schools open amid deliberations on campus closures.

The rally is organized by Save Blair, a parent-led campaign not officially affiliated with the school or its administration, according to the group’s website.

Organizers say they are hoping for 100 supporters to attend and speak during the board meeting’s public comment period.

The campaign has also circulated a Change.org petition that it says has gathered more than 1,500 signatures. The campaign is urging the board to reject closure proposals, pause major decisions, and explore alternatives that preserve programs.

At the meeting, the district will present the School Consolidation Advisory Committee’s findings and a draft equity impact analysis on potential campus closures.

The meeting is the last regular board session before a June 25 vote on whether to consolidate schools, according to the district’s published calendar. Any closures the board approves would take effect in the 2027-28 school year.

The advisory committee, which concluded its work on May 11 after seven meetings, rejected all six consolidation scenarios the district presented. A proposal to merge Blair’s high school grades into John Muir High School and its middle school grades into Octavia E. Butler Magnet failed on a vote of 10 in favor and 19 opposed, according to vote totals released by PUSD.

Two other Blair-related options — one sending Blair’s grades 9-12 to Pasadena High School and its grades 6-8 to Thurgood Marshall, and another sending grades 9-12 to John Muir and grades 6-8 to Thurgood Marshall — were also among the scenarios rejected by the committee.

This is not the first time Blair has faced the prospect of closure. During the 2005-06 school year, the school was among those threatened with cuts due to budget shortfalls. Community mobilization — parents, students, and local figures attending board meetings in large numbers — persuaded the board to keep Blair open, according to accounts of that period.

The May 28 board meeting will be held in the Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room (Room 236) at 351 S. Hudson Ave. Board meetings are broadcast live on KLRN-TV and streamed at pusd.us.