Parents, students and even city officials packed the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education special meeting on Thursday, March 14, as the board weighed whether to terminate its memorandum of understanding with the city allowing it to use the former Jefferson Elementary School site.
Last month the board designated the site as an interim housing “swing space” for the students and staff while Longfellow Elementary goes through a modernization. However, since 2021 the district has had an agreement with the city of Pasadena allowing it to host programs and services at Jefferson Elementary.
The board voted 3-4 against two motions that would terminate the agreement, one with an option to help the city relocate some of its services and one without. The board later voted 4-3 to designate Allendale Elementary as the new swing site.
The board was also expected to vote on whether to approve two resolutions on laying off more than 180 classified and certified district employees in light of financial constraints, as well as a fiscal stabilization plan to address the budget. However the board had not addressed the topic as of 8 p.m. Thursday.
The MOU, which runs through 2027, has grown to include services or programs from four city departments — the Library, Fire, Police, and Parks/Recreation Departments — providing the district $100,000 per year in compensation.
If the lease is not terminated, roughly 500 students who expected to be moved to Jefferson instead will be relocated to the vacant Allendale Elementary site, with the district providing busing. Relocation of students and staff to an interim housing site is expected to occur in August 2025, with the district needing access to the site by December this year.
Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo joins a large crowd for a Pasadena Unified School District Board Meeting March 14, 2024.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Parents and students complained that the change would unnecessarily cost the district in transportation costs and force students to travel much farther. Jefferson Elementary is 1.5 miles away from Longfellow, 2 miles closer than Allendale.
“The public’s trust, once compromised, is very difficult to regain,” PUSD parent Kelly O’Rourke said. “the trust of parents, caretakers, students and staff is vital to the success of this district and you cannot effectively do your job as trustees without it.”
City officials in the affected departments, including Mayor Victor Gordo, spoke in support of the services they provided and for voting against the termination.
“I’m really excited about the partnership as we look to provide more services to the community around Jefferson, around Allendale, around all of our communities,” he said. “And I would like to suggest that we sit down and talk about how we can maximize those services, both through the library, fire department and through all of the city departments.”
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