District Transformation Process - October 8, 2026
The Board received presentations from Dr. Helen Hill, CAO, the demographers, and Sonya Lopes from Prospect Studio. There was some discussion related to appropriate governance processes before discussion commenced.
With a three-minute limit per member, the Board discussed adding educational visioning to the District Transformation Process approved in Resolution 2894. Some members wanted visioning to come before the District Transformation Process instead of during.
The Board then discussed the definition of District Transformation Process and the different structures for different committee structures proposed for the District Transformation Process.
Dr. Blanco was clear during discussion that the staff would prefer to begin a visioning process as part of the District Transformation Process. She also was very clear that any changes to schools and programs would take time, as staff would need to create an implementation plan.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the following definition of District Transformation Process:
The Pasadena Unified School District is embarking on a comprehensive District Transformation Process that aims, over the next 5-10 years, to produce a sustainable district that aligns resources and decisions with shared goals. This process aims to:
Ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality facilities and programs and educational opportunities
Increase revenue and maximize operational efficiencies
Increase enrollment (or maintain stable enrollment)
Improve culture within & across the District
To accomplish these goals, the District is committed to the following processes (detailed in more depth below).
Facilitating community engagement efforts to identify shared values and desired outcomes over the next 5-10 years
Producing academic, program, enrollment, facility, and financial analyses to establish a baseline for decision-making
Sustaining collaboration & alignment on shared goals between district leadership and the community throughout decision-making.
The Board also approved that the process be overseen by a Community Committee led by staff. This committee will run in parallel with the visioning process, which the staff will run, likely with Prospect Studio, the contractors who presented. The full details and structure of the Community Committee were not discussed or voted upon, though the discussion will start with the definition in this document. Expect the structure and formation of the committee to return to the Board at some point soon.
In a bit of a tangent, Dr. Blanco did share that lease renewals would be coming to the Board soon, and they would be more in line with market rates. There has been discussion around this, both by Board members and parents, so this was welcome news.