Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Life-Long Local Michelle Richardson Bailey Seeks Third Term on School Board

The District 3 incumbent faces challenger Veronica Elias in the Nov. 3 election

Michelle Richardson Bailey has served nearly a decade on the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education, long enough to watch the district she grew up in face many challenges. She is asking voters for four more years.

She faces one challenger: Veronica Elias, who qualified July 30. District 3 is one of four PUSD board seats on the ballot, along with Districts 1, 5, and 7. Each winner serves a four-year term, and voters decide the races by plurality.

Bailey grew up in Pasadena and lives with her husband in her childhood home. Her three children attended PUSD schools. Before being elected to the board, she spent more than 20 years as a classified employee of PUSD and the County Office of Education, serving as a secretary at Blair High School, Pasadena High School, and in the Superintendent’s office, according to her official PUSD biography.

Her tenure includes a year as Board President in 2023, establishing the Legislative committee, leading the Facilities and Safety subcommittees, and authoring two board resolutions—”PUSD’s Commitment to Black Students” and “PUSD’s Commitment to Latinx Students”—which she calls her signature accomplishments.

In written responses to Pasadena Now, she said those resolutions “were used as a framework helping to establish Ethnic Studies, the Immersive Storytelling Academy, and other culturally relevant academic programs for all students.”

“If reelected, in addition to prioritizing our students, I am committed to cultivating a culture of change on the school board and the district as a whole,” Bailey said in a statement when her qualification was announced.

The race unfolds against a turbulent backdrop.

The January 2025 Eaton Fire destroyed or severely damaged five PUSD campuses in Altadena. The district is now removing soil contaminated by the fire at 11 sites under state oversight, work that requires cutting down of trees some of which the City of Pasadena says are protected by local ordinance. PUSD argues it is exempt; a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge is hearing the dispute.

Bailey said in her written responses that the district “did a phenomenal job” ensuring undamaged schools were safe and reopened on schedule, but should rebuild destroyed campuses “with a sense of urgency” because each property “represents revenue that could benefit the district immensely.”

On the tree dispute, she was brief: “In my opinion, this matter falls within the jurisdiction of public education and is being addressed, with an emphasis on campus safety.”

PUSD’s enrollment has fallen roughly 23 percent over the past decade to approximately 13,228 students, according to district figures, and the district projects a budget shortfall of $30 million to $35 million for the 2026–27 fiscal year. A school consolidation advisory committee concluded its work in May without recommending closures. Bailey said she would address enrollment by using district property to house working and unhoused families so their children could attend PUSD, and by completing a staff housing project already underway.