Pasadena Unified Announces Commitment to Black Students

The Pasadena Unified School District last week announced a commitment to Black students. The commitment came via a resolution authored by the board’s only Black member Michelle Richardson Bailey.

“It is time for public education to join the movement by intentionally focusing on closing the achievement gap, especially where Black students are concerned,” said Richardson Bailey told Pasadena Now.

“Through the resolution, PUSD has not only committed but has set the stage to be the model district for changing the culture of how we educate Black children from inequality to that of excellence. Black people should not accept anything less.”

Board Vice President Scott Phelps called the resolution an opportunity for the board to express support for the movement to value black lives.

“It’s just a first step,” Phelps said. “It’s just an expression of commitment to try to address the disparities in outcome, between black students and other students in terms of test scores, suspension rate, and special education identification. What will be forthcoming is a plan from staff with recommendations to the board as to how to address those items.”

PUSD was the first district west of the Mississippi to start busing under a court order. Since that time, the district has worked hard to attract white families to schools within in the district as if it would solve the district’s woes, despite the generations of Black and Brown families that have attended schools in the district.

According to Phelps, PUSD Superintendent Brian McDonald attempted to address the achievement gap among Black students when he came to the district as Chief Academic Officer by contracting with a nationally recognized expert in African American students, who interviewed local students and trained teachers in how to improve black student experiences in the classroom.

“Although Black students have the same intellect and potential as non-Black students in PUSD, they still experience the most negative outcomes of any subgroup of students on numerous performance-based measures,” the resolution states.

The resolution comes as institutions across the country continue to address systemic racism in the face of the officer involved death of George Floyd.

Floyd was killed by police on Memorial Day in Minnesota when an officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes.

The incident has forced the nation to take a realistic look at race and how Black people are treated by the system.

“Although slavery was abolished over 150 years ago, the vestiges of slavery are still with us,” McDonald said. “We must do more to ensure that all of our students have a fair opportunity to receive the best education possible that prepares them to take their place in society, be healthy, and to thrive.

This resolution is a starting point for us and we will be working diligently and in collaboration over the next months and years to ensure that our systems and policies all work together to benefit our students.”