Pasadena Board of Education Meets in Closed Session on Superintendent Search

The Pasadena Unified School District was scheduled to discuss the superintendent search in a special meeting on Thursday.

The District has been searching for a superintendent since Brian McDonald left in June after nine years in that role.

The District is using the search firm Leadership and Associates to lead the search for a new top educator.

There are about 14,000 students enrolled in 23 Pasadena Unified School District K-12 school sites.

The District has used consultants to identify potential candidates; development and posting of recruitment materials and position description.

Ads for the position have also appeared in EdCal.

Candidates must file their applications by Nov. 10. The consultants will conduct background checks on the candidates after the filing period closes.

According to a timeline, the District plans to make a decision in May and the new superintendent is scheduled to begin in July in time for the 2024-2025 school year.

In June, the Board voted 7-0, to appoint Deputy Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco, Ed.D., as Interim Superintendent during its Thursday, June 29 special meeting.

Elizabeth Blanco has been with Pasadena Unified School District for nine years and has served as Deputy Superintendent since 2022.

Per the Brown Act, the Board is required to report to the public if any action is taken in closed session.

No such statement was made on Thursday night.