Laguna Beach board votes to move high school graduation to Irvine Bowl

The Laguna Beach Unified School District board voted 3-2 on Feb. 26 to move the high school graduation ceremony to the Irvine Bowl, ending months of dispute over whether the site-level administrators or the board should set the venue.

"I vote yes to move it to the Irvine Bowl this year, and encourage staff to support both venues with needed support," Board President Sheri Morgan said during the motion’s final roll call. Trustee Howard Hills moved the measure; the substitute motion to delay a change until next year failed 1-4.

The decision capped more than an hour of trustee questions, staff comments and a lengthy public-comment period in which teachers, parents, alumni and union leaders urged both restraint and action. Speakers who favored leaving the decision to site staff said changing venues now would impose substantial extra work and costs on school employees. "This is a site-level issue. We have very capable administrators who are perfectly skilled and capable of carrying out these kinds of decisions," teacher Heather Hanson said.

Supporters of the Irvine Bowl stressed tradition and community interest. "The bowl holds 2,600-plus," alumnus Steve McIntosh told the board, noting the venue’s long history for graduations. Parents and petition organizers also said students and alumni had expressed a preference for returning to the bowl; speakers said petitions and outreach had driven community involvement.

Trustees pressed for factual information before voting: questions included exact class size and seating capacity, ADA access at the Irvine Bowl, and the scope and methodology of a student survey the district ran. Superintendent Jason Glass said school staff developed and distributed the survey to graduating seniors in an effort to solicit input and that results were roughly split. "All surveys have error and are incomplete information, but they're also valuable," Glass said. He advised that site administrators are generally responsible for venue planning but acknowledged the board had the authority to direct a change.

Opponents warned of logistical challenges and cost. LaBUFA President Scott Wittkop told trustees the district had been planning since September and that adding another venue could require hiring outside production staff and incur substantial expense; he cited a district estimate in the tens of thousands for certain setups. Several teachers and staff said moving the ceremony now would disrupt routines and staff capacity during an already busy time.

Board members who opposed the motion argued the superintendent and site leaders were better positioned to implement graduation plans and that the board should not intervene in site operations absent a governance-level issue. Trustee Joan Malczewski said she preferred to defer to Dr. Glass and site leadership and voted against the motion.

What happens next: the board’s direction moves the venue decision to the Irvine Bowl for this year; district staff said they will work on logistics, accessibility planning and any staffing or budget needs required to implement the change. The board did not take a separate vote on Thurston Middle School’s promotion; trustees said the site team and superintendent will determine an appropriate venue for that event.

The vote reflected a split on the dais and in the community about governance roles, local tradition and operational capacity. The district indicated staff would follow through on implementation and return to the board if funding or staffing barriers require additional approvals.