Joint meeting between Pasadena City Council and Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education, April, 20, 2026 (Photo – Screengrab)
The Pasadena City Council and Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education met to address clean energy goals and growing funding gaps in special education services.
By Andrew Sweet
Before turning to those issues, Mayor Victor Gordo acknowledged Miguel Márquez, who was honored Monday at the end of his four-year tenure as Pasadena’s city manager.
“Our secret sauce in Pasadena is community engagement,” Márquez stated in a short speech, citing the various partnerships and work Pasadena residents had done during the Eaton Fire.
Matthew Hawkesworth will serve as interim city manager until Mike Futrell assumes the position. The Pasadena City Council has appointed Mike Futrell as the city’s next City Manager, with an anticipated start date of Wednesday, May 13.
Following the recognition, officials turned to the joint meeting agenda between the City Council and Pasadena Unified School District.
City, District Align on Clean Energy Goals
Members of the Pasadena Unified Board of Education sat alongside the City Council to discuss moving toward green initiatives.
Pasadena Water and Power delivered a presentation, citing Pasadena’s Resolution No. 9977, which sets a goal to source 100% of the city’s electricity from carbon-free sources by the end of 2030. PWP highlighted successful solar panel projects, along with investments in battery storage and automated heat response, and introduced the idea of a joint plan between PUSD and the Council.
Officials and consultants from the Pasadena Unified School District also presented their multi-phase plan to integrate solar energy into twelve campuses. PUSD reported $566,500 in savings in 2024 after entering a contract with Luminance Home Solutions for solar installations. Officials discussed implementing a test run at Altadena Arts, Longfellow, and Madison, and expressed hopes for future projects targeting HVAC upgrades, lighting retrofits, and window replacements.
Councilmember Tyron Hampton, District 1, suggested exploring future partnerships with students to provide valuable work-based opportunities. He specifically stressed the inclusion of students with IEPs in these opportunities.
“They are our community, our whole community, and every single one of us walks around with some kind of challenge, no matter what that challenge may be,” Hampton said. “But it’s important we all nurture each and every individual and treat everybody with love and dignity.”
Discussion of Federal Funding for Education Services
Alongside sustainability efforts, district officials also raised concerns about funding gaps affecting student services. Dr. Julianne Reynoso, who leads the PUSD Department of Student Wellness and Support Services, spoke about funding gaps for students with disabilities.
“Our students with disabilities are general education first, and always,” Reynoso clarified. “But with that said identification, our students deserve to have a free, appropriate public education every single day.”
Dr. Reynoso reported that out of 13,900 students in the district, 2,200 have disabilities—16% of the student body. She found that the shortfall in federal funding “falls on the shoulders of PUSD,” which must make up the gaps with its general fund. Reynoso emphasized the need to advocate for AB 602, which provides base grant funding for special education programs and students with IEPs.
“We deserve better, and our students deserve better,” Reynoso added.
The discussion highlighted the district’s push toward long-term sustainability efforts alongside ongoing concerns about funding gaps in special education.
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