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San Diego supervisors pause San Pasqual Academy wind-down, direct CAO to return with campus plan
Summary
After hours of testimony from students, alumni and service providers, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to remove staffrecommendation to initiate a wind-down of San Pasqual Academy and directed the chief administrative officer to return with a high-level plan and continued community engagement, including a 90-day status update focused on youth outreach.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted May 20 to halt the recommended phased wind-down of San Pasqual Academy and instead directed the chief administrative officer to return with a high-level plan for the campus that preserves services for foster youth and explores future uses.
County staff had recommended initiating a planned, phased wind-down, saying statewide reforms and declining placements have reduced demand for the residential campus. Alfredo Guardado, director of the Child and Family Well-Being Department, told the board the county had held 13 engagement sessions with more than 270 participants and that the academy had 41 youth on campus as of May 1, 2026, down from a peak of nearly 200 in 2009; he also said the academy currently operates with an annual budget of approximately $18,900,000. "Our youth remain at the heart of all we do," Guardado said during the presentation.
But dozens of speakers, including students, alumni, school leaders and nonprofit partners, urged the board to pause any closure and allow more time for planning. "If you can give us 90 days, because for me that's a massive decision," student Nica told supervisors. Lawrence Howe, executive director of a provider who said his group has an 18-month plan to make the campus sustainable, told the board, "We have a plan. It would take 18 months for us to do it, but we have a plan." Several speakers cited high graduation and college-going rates among academy students as reasons to preserve programming.
Supervisor Jim Desmond moved to strike the staff recommendation to initiate a wind-down and to replace it with language directing the CAO to return with an overarching plan identifying proposed future uses, services and programs for the site while continuing inclusive community engagement. The motion preserved staff recommendations to continue outreach and to report back to the board. After clarifying questions about whether youth had been told a wind-down was a possibility, supervisors and staff agreed the youth had not been told in early engagement sessions and that the board letter made the potential action public; the board also asked staff to widen outreach to include the scenario of a possible closure so input is fully informed.
The board approved Desmond's amendment and related revisions to the recommendations by voice vote; clerks recorded the motion as passing unanimously among supervisors present. The approved direction requires a 90-day report focused on outreach and youth input, a 12-month status update on transitions, and a final community-informed options report in 18 months.
What happens next: the CAO will prepare the high-level plan and return with the 90-day outreach report, and the board will continue to receive community input as staff develops options for the academy's future. The action does not immediately close the campus or transfer residents; it replaces an authorization to begin winding down with a requirement to plan and consult further.
