Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Letter to the Editor: Stop Voting for “Nice” School Board Candidates—We Need Grit and Thick Skin

When we vote for a school board member, we usually look for friendly faces, neighbors, or people who tell us exactly what we want to hear. We do so because we don’t always understand the brutal realities of school district governance. But after 14 years as a Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) parent and serving in roles from PTA and ELAC to School Site Council chair, district-level CAC chair, and chair of the district’s LCAP Parent Advisory Committee, I can tell you definitively: being a “nice” person is not a qualification for office.

School board members are the ultimate stewards of our children’s education, our tax dollars, and our community’s future. They manage multi-million dollar budgets and hire, fire, and evaluate the superintendent. It is a grueling, unpaid job. Yet, we frequently treat these critical local races like a high school popularity contest.

True integrity on a school board means prioritizing the right decision over the comfortable one. To do that, a board member needs remarkably thick skin. Candidates often make narrow promises to the specific neighborhood parents who lift them up. But once in office, they must have the courage to look past their immediate base, stand up to their own voters, and make the tough choices necessary for all students to succeed.

They don’t have to be “nice,” but they do absolutely have to be effective. We need leaders with the spreadsheet literacy to dissect complicated budget files and hold the superintendent strictly accountable for academic outcomes. They must be skilled negotiators who can build strong partnerships with the city and local organizations, and they must possess adaptable minds to navigate shifting funding and legal requirements.

We must also follow the money. Campaigning costs money, and financial disclosures tell you exactly who a candidate will answer to. Are they backed by a grassroots network of local parents giving small amounts, or is an outside special interest group pouring money into the race with a rigid agenda? Board members must remain financially independent to effectively serve our children.

Stop accepting generic talking points. I urge Pasadena voters to study candidate websites, attend upcoming forums hosted by organizations like the Pasadena Education Network, and demand real answers to targeted questions:

* “When a decision benefits the whole district but hurts your home school, how will you vote?”
* “How will you use complex budget data to actively evaluate the superintendent’s performance?”
* “How will you guarantee your votes stay independent of your financial backers?”

These politicians hold the future of our community in their hands. Stop voting for charm. Vote for independent, thick-skinned, and courageous leaders who are entirely free to do what is right for PUSD.

Sincerely,

Laura Diaz Allen
Pasadena, CA