Thursday, March 26, 2026

Pasadena Unified School District Board Tackles Eaton Fire Recovery, Teacher Negotiations and Science Curriculum in Packed Thursday Agenda

District seeks contract for environmental testing at Altadena Arts Magnet ahead of campus reopening

The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education convenes Thursday evening with a dense agenda that spans wildfire recovery, labor negotiations and a sweeping update to secondary science instruction across the District.

The Board will consider awarding a contract to Verdantas Inc. to conduct indoor environmental testing at Altadena Arts Magnet to assess potential wildfire-related contaminants prior to campus re-occupancy following the Eaton Fire. The District will also vote on funding allocations for construction management and program management services tied to ongoing wildfire recovery projects.

Two separate items ask the Board to reaffirm continuing local emergency declarations under Resolutions 2797 and 2798, which grant the District expanded contracting authority to speed recovery work. A related item seeks ratification of contracts already awarded under the delegated authority established by Resolution 2797.

A public hearing will open the floor to community input on the United Teachers of Pasadena’s reopener proposals for the 2026–2027 school year. The hearing gives parents, students and other community members a chance to weigh in before the District and the teachers union begin formal negotiations.

The Board will also vote on adopting new science instructional materials for grades six through 12. The curriculum package follows what the District describes as a comprehensive pilot and evaluation process that involved teachers, students and community feedback.

Three resolutions are set for approval early in the meeting. Resolution 2866 declares the rights of all students to equitable access to high-quality, culturally responsive arts education across every Pasadena Unified School District school, recognizing arts learning as essential to a comprehensive education. Resolution 2867 designates March 31, 2026, as a day to honor the farm worker movement and its legacy of organizing for labor rights, dignity and social justice. Resolution 2868 proclaims April as a month of commemoration for the Armenian Genocide and reaffirms the District’s commitment to genocide awareness, human rights education and prevention.

Staff will present a summary of the District’s 2023–2028 Strategic Plan, a web-based tool that tracks key outcomes, metrics and progress across all five of the plan’s strategic pillars. A second presentation covers the District’s debt management strategy, including current general obligation bond obligations, assessed valuation trends, projected tax rates and potential 2026 refinancing options.

Facilities items dominate much of the consent agenda. The Board will consider adjusting the construction start date for the Madison Elementary School modernization project, awarding environmental consulting services to Placeworks for the athletic field and track project at Thurgood Marshall Secondary School, and approving supplemental bus transportation for John Muir High School athletics during ongoing construction. The agenda also includes acceptance of completed projects at Pasadena High School, where the Nazerian Group finished a campus identity project, and across multiple schools where Extenda Networks installed front entry security cameras and guest management intercom systems.

A proposed Community Workforce Agreement with the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council is among the action items. The Board will also vote on a professional services agreement with RSSC Consulting to update the District’s Facilities Master Plan, a move the District says will align facilities planning with evolving student needs, educational priorities and eligibility for state funding. An additional action item seeks approval of a Measure R budget allocation for fleet vehicles and operational equipment for Maintenance and Operations.

The consent agenda includes ratification of the January 2026 disbursement report and February 2026 purchase orders, approval of an additional Community Advisory Committee member, and a master services agreement with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP to provide auditing services for Fiscal Year 2025–2026.

Additional consent items include approval of the 2026–2027 transportation plan, facilities use agreements for four charter schools — Aveson Global Leadership Academy, Odyssey Charter School, Odyssey Charter School South and Pasadena Rosebud Academy — and an employment agreement for the District’s Chief Business Officer.

The Board will also consider more than a dozen board policy updates, covering topics from superintendent recruitment and selection to debt issuance and management, parent rights and responsibilities, interdistrict attendance and appropriate adult-student interactions.

The closed session portion of the meeting, which begins at 5:25 p.m., includes conferences with legal counsel on four existing litigation cases and one anticipated litigation matter, as well as a public employment discipline item.

The open session begins at 6 p.m. in the Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room at 351 S. Hudson Ave. in Pasadena. The meeting is broadcast live on Charter Cable Channel 95 and streamed online. A teleconference connection is listed for 210 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303. Community members who wish to submit written public comment may email publiccomment@pusd.us.

Thursday, March 26. Closed session at 5 p.m., open session at 6 p.m. Elbie J. Hickambottom Board Room #236, 351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena. Live broadcast on Charter Cable Channel 95 and online at live.boardmeetings.info. Full agenda and attachments available at www.BoardMeetings.info. For special accommodations, call (626) 396-3619 at least 48 hours before the meeting. Written public comment may be emailed to publiccomment@pusd.us.