Superintendent Brian McDonald Is leaving Pasadena Unified School District

Superintendent Brian McDonald (Photo – PUSD)

At a special school board meeting, it was announced that Dr. Brian McDonald is leaving his job as Superintendent effective June 30th.

By Billy Malone

The Board voted 6-1 to accept McDonald’s resignation. Brian McDonald has held the position since 2014, longer than any previous superintendent in at least three decades. As the chief executive officer of the school district that serves 14,000 students in the communities of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre, the superintendent is responsible for the academic and operational management of the district.

State law limits the payout to remove /release a superintendent without cause to one year of salary, which in this case would be close to $300,000. If a year of benefits is included, the amount would likely be over $350,000. It is likely that this severance package would have to be approved by the board at a regular meeting of the board, which could take place at the board’s regular June meeting.

McDonald previously served as Interim Superintendent and before that was the district’s Chief Academic Officer, where he was responsible for promoting and sustaining exceptional academic achievement that prepares students to be successful in college and in the 21st century workplace. He was also the district’s point person in creating the historic City/School/Community Workplan to align services with the city of Pasadena.

Under his superintendency, the district received several federal magnet grants to establish special programs at schools in underserved areas, in order to decrease socioeconomic isolation in the schools. These efforts turned around several schools in Northwest Pasadena and Altadena. In addition, McDonald supported the district’s many initiatives that connect the renowned art, science, research, business and community resources of the greater Pasadena area with the students, teachers and classrooms of PUSD schools.

Brian McDonald is a fluent Spanish speaker who lives in Pasadena with his family. The Pasadena Unified School District has more than 14,000 students at 23 campuses and an annual budget of over $250,000,000.

A search has to be done for a new superintendent. This is on top of searching for a Chief Business Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and a Director of Facilities.