Parents raise safety, staffing and equity concerns as Pomona Unified discusses Armstrong Elementary consolidation

Dozens of parents and community members urged the Pomona Unified School District Board of Education on March 12 to pause plans to consolidate Armstrong Elementary with Golden Springs Elementary and to provide more transparent facility and safety assessments.

Several speakers said the district’s analysis relied on pre‑COVID assessments and lacked community input specific to Armstrong. Parent Adaira Balandran told the board the consolidation “overlooks critical facility requirements” and raised questions about restroom counts and compliance with Title 5 restroom standards and California plumbing codes. Balandran asked the district for updated assessments to confirm capacity before any final decision.

Multiple speakers raised special‑education and staffing concerns. CSEA and PACE representatives described anxiety among classified staff after they received reassignment notices; they said some employees were told they would not move with students to receiving campuses. A teacher specialist who addressed the board said high employee health‑care costs are already driving staffing stress. Parent Danielle Reese said she had been told staffing would move with students but that, in a recent meeting, staff were told they would be reassigned elsewhere, raising questions about continuity of services for students with individualized education programs.

Several speakers pointed to state statutes and regulatory standards. Petitioners cited Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations and the California Education Code for facility, restroom and safety planning, and they requested an equity impact analysis under AB 1912. Speakers also called for a forensic audit of bond spending and fuller public accounting of how prior bond measures were used before closing any school site.

Superintendent Knowles acknowledged community concerns and said the district had held town halls and surveys in affected communities; he also said Golden Springs “does have enough restrooms, and two of the restrooms that were previously converted for staff restrooms will be restored to student use.” Knowles said a future meeting with Armstrong parents was being scheduled to present data and criteria behind any recommendation.

Board members responded that they had heard parents’ concerns and that staff would continue community engagement. Several parents asked the board to pause any consolidation while additional facility, safety and equity analyses are completed; some raised potential impacts on special education placements, emergency egress capacity and day‑to‑day school operations.

No formal board action on consolidation was taken at the March 12 meeting; the superintendent said a meeting with Armstrong families was being scheduled for April to present data and next steps.