Pasadena School Board Member Apologizes to Superintendent Over Comments

Pasadena Board of Education Member Tina Wu Fredericks has issued an apology to Superintendent Brian McDonald after accusing him of overstepping his authority during a board meeting last week.

Following a 5-2 vote by the board on Thursday to begin the process of reopening campuses for Pre-K through 2nd grade on March 30, with Fredericks and Board Member Michelle Richardson Bailey opposing, Fredericks criticized McDonald for an email he had sent prior to the meeting regarding what was then a proposal to start the reopening process.

Fredericks chastised McDonald for the email, which she described at the time as “announcing a specific reopening date before the board met today.”

“It’s extremely unfortunate that an email was sent to PUSD families last night announcing a specific reopening date before the board vote today,” she said.

“The Superintendent is the board’s only employee. In other words, the board is the boss of the superintendent, not the other way around,” Fredericks continued. “I will not tolerate actions that undermine the authority of the board. I expect better choices in the upcoming months.”

McDonald asked for a chance to address the allegation but was told by Fredericks, “No, please don’t. I don’t want to go there.”

McDonald said the characterization was “grossly unfair,” arguing the email only stated what was in the resolution he authored and presented to the board for consideration.

“We are not talking about this right now,” Fredericks said.

Bailey interjected that Frederick’s accusation did not appear to be accurate and insisted McDonald be allowed to respond. 

“You put it out there. That’s not fair,” Bailey said.

“I got that email,” Fredericks responded. “Since I’m a parent, I receive the emails. Some of us aren’t parents.”

While Bailey does not have any children attending school in the Pasadena Unified School District, she is the only board member to have graduated from the district, she said.

“Being elected to the school board means more than taking a seat and trying to change things,” Bailey said. “You also have to have a degree of leadership. When you put something out there, you have to expect a response.”

In a public letter issued by Fredericks in the days that followed, she expressed remorse for her criticism of McDonald.

“I want to issue a public apology to Superintendent Dr. McDonald for my comments at the recent 3/4/21 Board meeting,” she wrote. “I misinterpreted the ‘03-03-21 Reopening Update’ district email as an announcement of reopening, when, in fact, the email clearly states that the date is a recommendation and that the Board has the final decision.”

“Therefore, the Superintendent was well within the bounds of his role,” she added. “After a seven-hour-long meeting that was cooperative and focused on safety, it’s unfortunate that it ended in a disagreement.”

“Going forward, I intend to be part of the effort to build trust and accountability by fostering a two-way dialogue and take every opportunity to model this myself,” Fredericks said. “My experience with Board meetings has been very respectful and fair. I consider myself more than fortunate to work with a staff and Board that has the interest of each student at heart.”

A video recording of Thursday’s PUSD Board meeting can be viewed online at pusd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=15&clip_id=758.