McMillan, Acquanette (Netta)
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> Jessica Richards
Monday, April 20, 2026 9:20 AM
PublicComment-AutoResponse
Joint PUSD/City Council Agenda item 2
Some people who received this message don't often get email from-earn why this is important [ fc ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.
Hello,
As you navigate the many challenges of PUSD, I urge you to keep trees in mind. This may seem like a little thing but is a make it or break it factor for children spending time outside. Play areas or any outdoor area without tree canopy are subject to extreme heat in our ever increasing hot climate.
Construction and development typically treat trees like they are disposable and replaceable, but planting a new small tree while great, will not provide the benefits needed for several decades. (That is if they even survive.) We must preserve mature trees wherever they are on PUSD property they are valuable assets that are irreplaceable. Sunshades do not create the same cooling effect and they breakdown overtime shedding, micro ptastics onto the play area.
Thankyou for considering of our trees.
Jessica Richards, MS, MSW, LCSW
UFAC commissioner writing in my individual capacity
1 04/20/2026
Item 2
McMillan, Acquanette (Netta}
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PADRES PUSD
Monday, April 20, 2026 3:26 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse; Jomsky, Mark
Rivas, Jessica; Gordo, Victor; Hampton, Tyron; Jones, Justin; Masuda, Gene; Cole, Rick; Lyon, Jason; Madison, Steve
Public comment Agenda item #2 April 20th PU SD-City of Pasadena joint meeting [ 1 ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.
Public Comment - Rene H. Gonzalez
PADRES PUSD
Good afternoon Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilmembers, Board Members, Superintendent and acting City Manager,
A teacher is one of the most noble professions in our society-one that shapes a child with wisdom, guidance, and education. Yet, our teachers at PUSD have been systematically and categorically underpaid for decades. At the same time, contractors, consultants, vendors, and parasitic nonprofit structures continue to bill the district at high levels, exploiting a system that has long underfunded and underserved our schools-especially those in underprivileged communities and those serving special education students.
The poor educational outcomes we experienced at schools like Roosevelt Elementary and Madison Elementary are not accidental. They are the result of constant turnover of substitute teachers and a lack of meaningful support. Meanwhile, PUSD continues to invest in programs like early learning and one-on one tutoring at "choice" schools located in areas with little to no demographic demand-while the communities where most of our children actually live have seen their schools closed. At the same time, charter schools, such as the one at the Cleveland site, continue to expand.
Declining Enrollment has been treated like a terminal illness-something inevitable and irreversible, that is simply not true.
The reality is that for decades, the City of Pasadena and PUSD failed to protect working families from displacement. Families were pushed out by abusive rent increases and predatory housing practices.
While Measure H has helped stabilize rents, it came too late for thousands. Over 4,000 families with school-age children were displaced from PUSD.
Now, kfl,:2,026, "declining enrollment" should not be an excuse-it should be an embarrassment.
Because the real issue is not the decline itself, but the lack of a serious, aggressive plan to bring families back. There is no dedicated department, no coordinated strategy, no urgency. 1 04/20/2026
ltem2
The 710 stub presents a real opportunity. It can be used to develop affordable housing and reconnect with those displaced families. Bringing back even a portion of those 4,000 families is not impossible— but it requires Leadership that cares enough to act.
Instead, we see apathy.
Families in Pasadena are living paycheck to paycheck. Many parents work two or three jobs because industries have normalized part-time employment to avoid providing healthcare. This leaves children at home without support, trapped in a cycle that undermines both education and dignity. This is not just an economic issue—it is a moral failure.
Here is an serious issue and an important opportunity to demonstrate that this governing body cares for these hard working families and can find ways to improve the lives of thousands of families that have no health coverage and are severely underrepresented, employers that resource to part time employment to steer off of health insurance requirements should be penalized, our children are suffering the consequences of poor representation and lack of action by elected officials that have the power to create ordinances that prevent part time employment that erodes the quality of life and reduces that chances of educational success in our communities.
Access to quality education is a right. Yet for many children in marginalized communities, that right has been eroded.
There is no visible, intentional plan for change—and that should alarm every one of us.
We continue to ask the public to support school bonds, yet we see only a fraction of that investment reach classrooms, while the rest feeds a system that is bloated and misaligned with student needs.
We were promised green energy investments. Imagine if PUSD had installed its own solar infrastructure—providing free EV charging for teachers and affordable access for the community.
Instead, outside entities profit while the district buys power back. That is not sustainability—that is the result of a broken system.
We are not thriving at PUSD because we are not prioritizing teachers. And when teachers are not supported, our children suffer—especially those in marginalized communities that lack representation in decision-making spaces.
Declining enrollment is not the disease—it is the symptom of decades of mismanagement, displacement, and neglect.
PUSD is over 60% Latino. This is the fastest-growing demographic in the country, yet early education outreach has been neglected. Private organizations have stepped in to fill that gap—sometimes even using public school facilities—because the district failed to lead.
We have made major planning mistakes in the past—building new middle schools from the ground up where there was no demand, maintaining under-enrolled campuses, while overcrowded schools in high- 2 need areas struggled with inadequate staffing substitute teachers and poor academic support resources.
We cannot fix these problems by continuing the same patterns.
The 710 stub should be used to correct these historic mistakes. We need:
A real campaign to bring back displaced families
Investment in district-owned solar and green infrastructure Teacher retention strategies that include meaningful incentives including free EV Charging at public schools.
A serious, data-driven enrollment recovery plan
Staff housing alone is not the solution. Rebuilding enrollment is.
The City of Pasadena and PUSD must work together with one common vision: to serve the best interests of the community—not the system.
Because at the end of the day, we are the foundation of this city. And yet, we are too often treated as an afterthought.
We pay taxes. We vote. And we are watching and passing the voice.
Elected officials have a responsibility to act and serve the public by finding ways to effectively improve our communities and a better future for all children.
Thankyouforyour attention.
Yours truly,
Rene hl.Gonzalez
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