Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 23, 2010

7

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 23, 2010

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

PUSD SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION STUDY 

COMMITTEE SUBMITS RECOMMENDATION

Superintendent’s Recommendation Will Follow Upcoming Public Hearings, Study Sessions 

Pasadena, CA – The Pasadena Unified 
School District (PUSD) School 
Consolidation Study Committee, 
composed of 21 stakeholders 
representing PUSD families, 
employees, and community members, 
concluded its meetings and finalized 
its recommendations on Wednesday. 
The committee recommended that 
three elementary schools -- Loma Alta, 
Burbank, and Jackson – be consolidated, 
and that the Norma Coombs Alternative 
School program be relocated from the 
Norma Coombs site to the Burbank site. 

These potential changes would be 
effective for the 2011 - 2012 school year; 
no changes will occur during the current 
school year. The committee’s final report 
will be available this Friday, when it is 
submitted to the Superintendent.

In response to an unprecedented $30 
million loss of funding over the past 
three years, and the prospect of sustained 
enrollment declines in the foreseeable 
future, the Board of Education approved 
school consolidation to help decrease 
expenditures and generate ongoing 
revenue to support instructional 
priorities. The three-year budget 
adopted in June identified the closure 
of a minimum of three schools in 
2011-12 to reduce operating expenses 
associated with excess capacity on 
school campuses. The Board of 
Education established the School 
Consolidation Study Committee to 
assist the Superintendent by developing 
an advisory recommendation regarding 
school consolidation and closure. 

The School Consolidation Study 
Committee was charged with identifying 
three schools for consolidation or 
closure, identifying a new location 
for the District headquarters, and 
recommending strategies to ease the 
reassignment and transition processes 
for families at affected schools. The 
committee met during September and 
October, analyzed significant amounts 
of financial, demographic, and facilities 
information, and considered testimony 
from hundreds of stakeholders at 
community forums and via email.

At its October 12 meeting, the Board 
of Education heard a budget update 
presentation indicating that an additional 
$5 million in revenue may be available 
annually as a result of the state budget 
agreement. However, public education 
advocates remain concerned that ongoing 
instability in the state’s budget situation may 
result in a mid-year shortfall that would 
require additional budget cuts in January. 
The Board of Education had planned to cut 
$6 million to balance the 2011-2012 budget, 
which would include school closures. Next 
week, the Board of Education will consider 
the potential impact of additional funds on 
previously-approved reductions, including 
school closures, employee layoffs and 
furloughs, and class size reduction.

The Superintendent will submit his 
recommendations to the Board of Education 
by the end of October. After public study 
sessions and open hearings at the affected 
schools, the Board will make a final decision 
on school consolidation. The decision is 
tentatively scheduled for the November 
23 Board meeting, to ensure parents are 
adequately informed and supported by an 
implementation plan before the beginning of 
Open Enrollment for the 2011 - 2012 school 
year. See the attached schedule for additional 
details. The School Consolidation Study 
Committee report will be made available at 
www.school-consolidation.pasadenausd.
org on October 25.

Alverno High School

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Ann M. Gillick 

E-mail address: agillick@alverno-hs.org

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007

Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: David L. Vannasdall

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, 

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke

E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org

Barnhart School

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 446-5588 Head of School: Joanne Testa Cross

Kindergarten - 8th grade

website: www.barnhartschool.com 

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3527 Principal: James Lugenbuehl

E-mail address: jml@bcslions.org

Carden of the Foothills School

429 Wildrose Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016 626/358-9414 
626/358-5164 fax office@cardenofthefoothills.com

The Gooden School

192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-2410 Head of School: Patty Patano

website: www.goodenschool.org

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road

Pasadena, Ca. 91107

626-798-8989

website: www.highpointacademy.org

LaSalle High School

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 351-8951 Principal: Patrick Bonacci

website: www.lasallehs.org

Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 

(626) 471-2000, email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us

Norma Coombs Alternative School

2600 Paloma St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 798-0759 Principal: Dr. Vanessa Watkins 

E-mail address: watkins12@pusd.us

Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill

website: www.odysseycharterschool.org

Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 798-8901 Principal: Dr. Derick Evans

website: www.pasadenahigh.org

Pasadena Unified School District

351 S. Hudson Ave. Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 795-6981 website: www.pusd@pusd.us

St. Rita Catholic School

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-9028 Principal: Joanne Harabedian

website: www.st-rita.org

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-1428 Principal: Gayle Bluemel

E-mail address:gbluemel220@pusd.us

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Gayle Bluemel

Contact person: Garrett Newsom, Asst. Principal

E-mail address: gbluemel220@pusd.us

Weizmann Day School

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 797-0204

Lisa Feldman: Head of School

Wilson Middle School

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln

E-mail address: resseln@pusd.us

Pasadena Unified School District

351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 795-6981

Website: www.pusd@pusd.us


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com