Two members of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education on Thursday criticized Mayor Victor Gordo over the latter’s call for the city to pursue withholding funds for the school district if the Board did not take necessary actions to ensure schools can reopen.
In his remarks to the City Council, Gordo zeroed in on vaccinations for PUSD staff.
“I just think it would be shameful to have schools not reopened because employees are not vaccinated,” Gordo said.
During Thursday’s board’s meeting, member Jennifer Hall Lee has expressed her dismay at the mayor’s recent statements.
“Why would a mayor threaten to pull money from a public school district especially when this funding for schools was approved by more than 72 percent of voters?”
“I am deeply dismayed by these threats to our public school district about mandatory vaccines,” Lee said.
Lee said schools are ready to open on August 12 and claimed that the forthcoming school year will be successful.
Last Monday, Gordo said if schools will not reopen on time due to concerns regarding the vaccination status of school district employees, the city might hold back the funds it transferred to PUSD and use the same to establish the city’s own learning centers.
In recent meetings, the school board has discussed the possible implementation of a vaccination mandate for its staff and weekly COVID-19 testing for its students and staff.
The board has not made any decisions on either matter. On Thursday, three board members expressed their support for the proposed policies.
Schools are scheduled to proceed with the reopening for full in-person classes on August 12 even pending the board’s decision.
During its Thursday meeting, board member Michelle Richardson Bailey urged members of the school board to speak with their respective councilmembers to discuss the statements by Gordo as she called out the mayor over his statements which she said demeaned the PUSD and disrespected the work its staff put in to educate children.
“When you are giving something to the district in support of the kids and you get mad at the leadership and you want to take back what you are giving, it’s not hurting the leadership, you’re hurting the students, you’re hurting the kids,” Bailey said.
Instead of demeaning the PUSD, she told the city council to support the board and help it increase enrollment by creating workforce housing and bringing back families to the community.
“This is our first time going through this, the city is having issues around vaccines and testing and the school district is as well — so why can’t we come together at the table and try to understand the issues for each other and not be so quick to want to shoot each other down?”
“We are not the enemies of this community. We are working hard to find ways to educate this community’s children,” Bailey said.
Responding to Bailey’s call, board member Elizabeth Pomeroy said she will speak with her councilmember to discuss the issue between the Mayor and the PUSD regarding mandatory vaccination.
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One thought on “Board of Education Members Criticize Mayor After His Call for City to Consider Withholding School Funds”
As usual, Members Bailey & Hall-Lee are using straw-man tactics to obfuscate their true intention of preventing vaccine mandates for PUSD employees. As Gov. Newsom proved today, both Board Members are on the wrong side of the debate and we’re moving towards a mandate anyway. These Board Members, along with the other two who oppose vaccine mandates, Pomeroy and Phelps, represent a bloc of fools that lacks imagination and is incapable of one bit of critical thinking that isn’t laced with logical fallacies that, no doubt, they don’t even understand are fallacious.
I can’t wait to join any campaign to unseat them when their terms are up.