We Get Letters

The foundation of a democracy is the public schools.  As many people know, the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) has many families who choose not to send their children to the public schools.  As a PUSD alum, the parent of a PUSD graduate and another currently enrolled student, I want to endorse District 4 candidate Scott Harden and encourage others to support him.

We need to appeal to as many families as possible to bring them into or back into the schools.  Scott Harden’s opponent, Patrick Cahalan, voted to reconfigure Marshall Fundamental, closing the high school.  Marshall is the largest and highest performing secondary school in Pasadena.  Marshall has the highest graduation rate, highest ranking (based on US News and World Report) and the highest standardized test scores (based on California state testing).  It should be emulated, not eliminated.

Families want to go to Marshall.  We need families in the District and Mr. Cahalan voted to close Marshall despite the data.

Fiscal responsibility – the District needs to be cognizant of costs and value.  The District has limited resources.  Where are we getting the best outcomes for the money spent?   How much are we spending per student?  Blair and Muir are significantly more expensive per student than PHS and Marshall.  Where is the equity?  Where is the mindfulness of resource limitations?