Statewide Public Education Bus Tour Starts in Pasadena Today

State Senator Carol Liu, chair of the Senate Education Committee, begins a statewide bus tour focused on public education by visiting Pasadena Unified’s Madison Elementary School Monday.

Liu’s Pathways to Partnership tour explores community schools strategies which align the resources of an entire community to support student success and strengthen families.

Joining Senator Liu in discussing Pasadena area initiatives such as the City/School/Community Workplan and the district’s Healthy Start Centers will be Pasadena Unified Board President Renatta Cooper, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Schools Superintendent Jon R. Gundry and other advocates, education leaders and media representatives.

The City/School/Community Workplan is a framework for building the commitment for stakeholders to work together cooperatively in order to improve student outcomes, support the local economy and to ensure the community grows as a local and global center of innovation.

Using research, models and previous school, city and community planning efforts, a draft framework and set of existing and proposed strategies was jointly approved by the Pasadena Unified Board of Education and Pasadena City Council in February 2013. To learn more about the workplan visit www.pasadenacsp.org.

PUSD’s Healthy Start program operates at five school sites: Madison Elementary School, Cleveland Elementary School, Jackson Elementary School, Eliot Middle School and Rose City High School. The sites provide students and families with case management services and a multitude of resources including health and mental health services, classes for parents, assistance for basic needs, and academic services for students.

The Madison Healthy Start Center was recently completed under Measure TT, a $350 million school bond initiative passed by area voters in 2008. The centerpieces of the new facility are preschool classrooms that serve 35-40 students each year. Also part of the facility are rooms for health education, parent education, social services referrals and other services. The center is staffed by a Healthy Start coordinator and caseworkers as well as dedicated parent volunteers.