PUSD Educators, Parents, and Students Plea, Proselytize For Their Schools

Parents and students protest school closures (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)

These days, if a contingent of students and educators show up at PUSD’s Thursday-evening meeting, it can mean only one thing: they’re fighting for their life.

By Garrett Rowlan

And several secondary schools in Pasadena were doing just that. The playbook is by now recognizable, the distribution of yellow placards for public speakers, and the wearing of custom-made T-shirts, and standing in unison and holding placards. And many public speakers.

“It’s the hardest thing I had to do ever,” said Lawrence Torres, President, Board of Education, at the beginning of the meeting, faced with the reality of closing schools.

Following the vote to close three elementary school last month, the process was the same, a procession of educators, parents, and students who plead, proselytized for their schools, and at times berated the School board. It was a sad, familiar refrain. The board members doing something they didn’t want to do for a populace who didn’t want them done, and guided at best by guidelines of diversity, choice, and lessening the inevitable harm to follow when the budget bugaboo called its tune.

Parents and students waiting to speak at the PUSD Board meeting on Oct. 24, 2019 (Photo – Garrett Rowlan)

The first round of discussion concluded after Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek spoke, stressing his engagement with public education, and stressing his cooperation in any way possible.  Even a Princess of the Rose Court got into the act, speaking eloquently for Marshall Fundamental.

After a break, the meeting continued at 8:14 pm. After three more students spoke, the Board had to decide among the seven various scenarios of who and what to close. “It’s our best guess,” Lawrence Torres said of the process. Patrick Cahalan posited several scenarios, going from doomsday (in case of a recession). Others, while hardly more optimistic, still seemed to think the wolf could be kept from the door. As a result, motion 2530 carried, which meant no high school closed. (Only Cahalan voted a cautious “No”, while Kenne abstained.) More decisive action was taken on resolution 2536, which opted for the closing of Wilson Middle School.

Though more business was scheduled, the room emptied after the vote.

Flyers were placed on some cars parked in the District’s parking lot (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)

Resolutions

– Resolution 2536
(Consolidation of Schools Keeping three stand-alone middle schools – Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy, and Sierra Madre Middle School – and Blair School grades 6-12, Marshall Fundamental School grades 6-12, and McKinley School grades 6-8, and closing Wilson Middle School)

Lawrence Torres (Dist. 6), President: Yes
Patrick Cahalan (Dist. 4), Vice President: No
Scott Phelps (Dist. 7), Clerk: Yes
Kimberly Kenne (Dist. 1): No
Roy Boulghourjian (Dist. 2): Yes
Michelle Richardson Bailey (Dist. 3): No
Elizabeth Pomeroy (Dist. 5): Yes

– Resolution 2530
(Consolidation of Schools Keeping all four high schools – Marshall Fundamental School, Pasadena High School, Blair High School, and John Muir High School Early College Magnet open with current grade levels)

Torres: Yes
Cahalan: No
Phelps: Yes
Kenne: Abstain
Bourgourgian: Yes
Bailey: Yes
Pomeroy: Yes

Videos

> Click the link to watch the full PUSD Board meeting on October 24, 2019.

> Click below to watch educators, parents and students protesting a possible closure of their school:

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