Marshall Thrives. PUSD Tries to Shut It Down Anyway

GUEST OPINION

Thurgood Marshall Class of 2026, Puente Graduates (Photo – PUSD)

The Pasadena Unified School District once again is considering closing schools, and—just as in every previous round—Marshall Secondary School is on the chopping block.

By Lewis Watson

My wife and I are PUSD alumni, teachers, and parents of three Marshall graduates. When I transitioned to teaching as a second career, PUSD’s ongoing budget mismanagement resulted in three RIF notices in my first four years and two layoffs. Despite the uncertainty, I remained committed to PUSD and eventually landed at Marshall after my second layoff.

As PUSD continues to mismanage its finances, one constant runs throughout the multi‑year school closure discussions: the desire to close Marshall.

Because the agendas of school board members are not often open or transparent, it is difficult to know why this effort continues. But it does. I am writing because the potential closure of Marshall is very real, and we are only a vote away from eliminating Marshall as an option for our students and families.

Marshall is a top‑performing school by every metric. It can be argued—successfully—that Marshall is PUSD’s top‑performing school. Yet our district wants to close it. This is not new. PUSD regularly looks at Marshall as a potential closure opportunity. Each time, the students, families, teachers, staff, and administration rally to Marshall’s defense so that PUSD does not make this colossal mistake.

PUSD needs noise to weigh value. To make an impact, to show our value, we have to pack school board meetings, carry signs, attend rallies, and send letters to support the obvious: Marshall works. It is successful.

While PUSD threatens Marshall’s existence, Marshall students thrive. Marshall athletes succeed. Marshall drama, music, and art students excel. Test scores lead PUSD. The AP program flourishes. All of this happens each day despite PUSD, not because of it. Our facilities are neglected. Our AP program, one that students use and find success in large numbers each year, is not recognized by PUSD. Marshall faces the constant threat of closure, yet we continue to demonstrate that Marshall works and works well.

In a rational world, a school district would support its successful schools and programs. It would celebrate successes and look to replicate them while improving underperforming areas.. That is not PUSD’s approach.

PUSD does not examine its own wasteful spending as a possible solution to keeping Marshall a viable option for our families. For example, we are currently wasting money on semi‑permanent bathrooms on the Marshall campus that are not being used. They were built to provide facilities during the long‑awaited and much‑needed remodel of our A‑building bathrooms. That remodel has not started, yet the replacement bathrooms are there, literally sending money down the toilet.

PUSD continues to mismanage funds, push agendas, and support programs that few use or that produce less‑than‑expected results.  As a community, we need better.

The timing of this decision is especially bad. We do not know what PUSD will look like in three to five years. We are rebuilding an entire community. We do not know what our students and families will want or need in the near future. Closing a highly popular and successful option now simply is not a smart idea.

Lewis Watson is a teacher at Thurgood Marshall

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