Parents, students and community members accuse Pasadena Unified trustees of secret coordination and urge resignations

Parents, students and other community members used a special Pasadena Unified Board of Education meeting to urge trustees to halt a consolidation process they described as predetermined, to demand accountability and to call for resignations.

Chris Lowe, who identified himself as mayor of Sierra Madre and a public-school educator, opened public remarks by directly urging Board President Tina Fredericks to step down. "Board president Tina Fredericks, you should resign immediately," he said, adding that he and others would pursue recall if she did not. Lowe accused trustees of "illegal coordination" that "swayed the 4 to 3 vote approving what you call the consolidation 2027 plan before the public process was complete." He cited Government Code section 54950 as the legal standard the public process must meet.

Sarah Poggi, a PUSD parent, said she had reviewed public-records production and described what she called backroom discussions between board trustees and Total School Solutions (TSS). "Tina initiated backroom discussions with Total School Solutions in November 2025," Poggi said, and she told the board that Tahir Ahad, TSS's CEO, and TSS consultant Joseph Pandolfo were involved. Poggi said the board later voted to hire TSS and to pay what she described as "nearly a quarter million dollars" for a consultant the public had been told would be independent. She warned those facts could prompt litigation and complaints to oversight agencies.

Speakers from the Blair community and other parents pressed for a different process. Francesca Mariani said meaningful engagement must begin with shared goals and clear data, not with closure scenarios. "A genuine community engagement process does not begin with school closure scenarios and then ask the public to react," she said. Emily Stroh (speaking on behalf of a large group of Blair community members) urged the board to pause the consolidation process and to build a vision that shows clear benefits for students before moving forward.

Several speakers raised a consistent concern about the district's advisory committee process and agenda management. One commenter said the independent advisory committee advised against consolidation and that committee updates had been removed from regular board agendas, undermining trust in the process.

Student Lando Marchese, who said he attends Marshall, told trustees that alleged secret discussions and possible Brown Act violations teach students the wrong lesson about leadership. "We are constantly told in schools that leadership matters," he said. "But the reports about possible Brown Act violations and private coordination send the opposite message."

A final public commenter said the board's conduct has damaged confidence in public education and repeated calls for resignations and recall. Multiple speakers named trustees they said were involved: Tina Fredericks, Kim Kenny, Scott Harden and Yarma Velasquez. Speakers also asked the board not to blame district staff, including Superintendent Dr. Blanco, and to engage the community more fully.

The clerk concluded public comment and the presiding officer recessed the meeting to closed session. The transcript contains no formal motion or vote related to the allegations; speakers said they would pursue lawful avenues for accountability, including recall and filings with oversight bodies.

Why this matters: The commenters framed the issue as not just a policy dispute about school consolidation but a matter of process and public trust. If the allegations of improper coordination are substantiated, speakers said, they could lead to litigation, complaints to state oversight agencies, and political action such as recall campaigns.

Next steps: The meeting recessed to closed session; the transcript does not record any board response, formal investigation steps or votes during the portion captured here.