District Transformation Process - August 13, 2026 Special Board Meeting Recap

Last night, the Board of Education and Superintendent’s Leadership Team (SLT) met in a special meeting, facilitated by Natalia Guerra from Collaborate Pasadena, to discuss the District Transformation Process that was put in motion by Resolution 2894. 

After public comment, Board and SLT members took some time to reflect on lessons learned from last spring’s consolidation process. Ms. Guerra then led Board members in a series of exercises and discussion to define the key components of and desired outcomes from a district transformation process. After several hours of conversation, questions, clarification and discussion, the Board arrived at a working definition of the District Transformation Process. This is NOT a final definition, instead a starting point for the committee discussion:

A comprehensive district transformation process will integrate community engagement, program assessment, board leadership development, and strategic investment to strengthen programs, increase enrollment and position schools for long term success.

The transformation process will improve operational efficiencies aligning resources with education needs; increasing revenue; evaluate student belonging and happiness; maximize facility utilizations; and direct investments toward programs with greatest potential for enrollment growth and sustainability.

By the end of the six-hour meeting, the board voted to proceed as “a Committee of the Whole” to continue defining the transformation process. The rest of the action items were tabled. 

A Committee of the Whole is made up of all seven Board members and Student Board Member, with the Superintendent or designee in attendance. Meetings are held in the Board room, live-streamed, recorded. No final decisions about closure are made while sitting as the Committee of the Whole. Any official action must occur when the Board reconvenes as the Governing Board and takes action by motion and vote. This committee is subject to the Brown Act.

The Board and SLT discussed what data they wanted to use to determine. After a break, the agenda was modified to remove the action items related to consolidation date and committee agenda. The group then looked at the three committee options and discussed which would serve the transformation process best. 

There were a lot of comments from board trustees regarding transformation vs consolidation, interpersonal board relations, and how best to receive community and student feedback. While the process is intended to continue, there is no date set for the next committee meeting or study session.