February 12th Recap + THIS Thursday’s 2/26 Meeting: What's at Stake
Dear FUEL Community,
Thank you for your continued engagement. We are showing up together, and that matters more than ever.
The February 12th board meeting ran seven hours long and ended at 1:00 am. Board Bylaw 9322 passed 3-2 despite opposition from the superintendent, both unions, all written public comment, and staff. As of today, both unions have filed grievances (documented complaint alleging that the school district violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement).
Community members, parents, teachers, neighbors, carry the burden of staying until midnight just to speak to their elected officials. And this feels very much like a deliberate strategy to silence the community voices the board majority has proven they prefer to ignore.
We are committed to continuing to show up and speak to what we believe is a trajectory our district should not be on.
Before diving into the recap, we want to flag something urgent: This Thursday’s Governance Meeting includes a closed-session superintendent evaluation, the second in 10 weeks, with no additional evaluation scheduled under Dr. Glass's contract until September 2026. The open session items on the same night would redefine board authority over site and superintendent roles. Please see the full breakdown below.
In Brief on February 12 School Board Meeting
Meeting ran 7 hours, ending at 1:00 am; public comment began at 12:16 am
Board Bylaw 9322 passed 3-2, giving the board president final agenda authority, opposed by the superintendent, both unions, all written public comment, and staff
Both unions filed grievances; negotiations may be delayed
Graduation venue discussion consumed 2+ hours on an incorrectly agendized item; will return this Thursday, February 26th. For review here is a presentation brought by site administrators: LINK
State-mandated immigration policy delayed to February 26th after procedural confusion. Dr. Glass shared concern that without passing this policy before March 1st, our district would be out of compliance
LCAP mid-year results showed exceptional student growth across all metrics; Discussion was limited to 20-ish minutes due to the meeting length
17 community members stayed past midnight to share concerns about staff morale, fear of retaliation, and governance practices. Demonstrating the board president’s refusal to hear our community and request to restore public comment on non-agenda items to the start of the meeting.
What This Meeting Means
Board Bylaw 9322 passed despite broad, organized opposition, including the superintendent’s strong recommendation not to move forward with the revisions. Both unions opposed it and as of today have field grievances that may delay negotiations. With the exception of two speakers, every written and in-person public comment, for both the first and second reading, opposed it. The board majority passed it anyway, 3-2, at 12:10 am. The board also realized that some additional language they wanted was missing so they would revisit at a future meeting.
The graduation venue discussion lasted over two hours on an item that was incorrectly agendized as a discussion versus action item, and so could not allow for a board vote or final decision. The superintendent recommended this remain a site-level decision, made by the principals who know their communities.
FUEL’s View: If the board votes to override the site principals’ recommendation that graduations stay at the high school field, this will have been the second time the board majority has disregarded the superintendent’s professional recommendations. We address this further below.
Our academic excellence continues, and that is because of our remarkable staff. The LCAP mid-year report showed Laguna Beach students performing at elite levels, with interventions working, suspension rates cut in half, and college readiness strong. Superintendent Glass called it "an elite performing school district." This is what our educators produce every single day despite a Board Majority that undermines their expertise regularly.
What we heard after midnight broke our hearts and strengthened our resolve. Seventeen community members delivered organized, thoughtful testimony on behalf of staff who are afraid to speak publicly. They shared that our educators feel the joy has been taken from their work; they do not feel safe speaking openly; that they are watching the district they love being tragically damaged. These are the heartfelt sentiments from real people who give everything they have to our kids’ education. You can watch the moving speeches HERE (starting at 6:16:00).
FUEL’s View: Good governance is built on collaboration, trust, and respect for professional expertise. When the superintendent, unions, staff, and community all raise the same concerns and are consistently dismissed, something is broken. We believe our district deserves better, and so do the extraordinary people working in it every day.
What is Coming: THIS Thursday, February 26 Board Governance Meeting
4:00 pm Open Session | 6:00 pm Open Session | Thurston Middle School Library | Link to Agenda | Public Comment Form | Link to Watch
Please see our highlighted agenda items below:
Item 3D -Public Employee Performance Evaluation Title: Superintendent (Government code section 54957 subd. (b)(1))”: Closed session includes a superintendent performance evaluation, the second in 10 weeks, with the next evaluation scheduled under Dr. Glass’s contract not due until September 1st 2026. This does not appear to be routine.
Dr. Glass was hired 5-0 to lead our district. We believe it is imperative that the board recognize his expertise and allow our superintendent to fulfill his role without hindrance for the betterment of our students and district.
Item 5: Approval of High School Graduation Location: If the board majority overrides the principals’ recommendation, it will be the second consecutive meeting in which the majority has substituted its own judgment for that of the professionals hired to make these decisions. This is a transfer of decision-making authority from our Principals as site leaders, to the board.
The board majority would establish a precedent that their role is to override professional staff expertise and make decisions that have historically been the authority of site principals
High school graduation plans are already in progress and would be changed on a very tight timeline
Voices of half of the student body are unheard; no survey was conducted for 8th grade students and families
Thurston is not able to cover the full cost of the high school graduation setup alone, and would need to come up with an alternate plan on a very tight timeline
We would like to leave you with this quote from Dr. Allemann, High School Principal:
“I want to share in my 30 years of experience in education and across three districts where I was principal in three different schools, this has always been an honor and a privilege to do and serve the students and families around the commencement and promotion ceremony.”
Items 7A and 7B - Governance Roles and Operational Alignment and Governance Processes and Issue Resolution: These items define the boundary between board authority and superintendent authority (7A), and how disagreements with the superintendent are handled (7B). These items appear on the same night as a superintendent evaluation that does not appear to be defined in his contract.
Item 8A - Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items): Public comment remains at the end of the meeting.
The board majority continues to vote against restoring it to the start of open session.
There have been hundreds of requests from students, staff, and community members to make this change.
Forcing students to sit and wait in the Thurston library until 12:30am for a chance to speak to their elected representatives is unacceptable.
Students, staff, families, and community members should be able to address elected officials at the start of the meeting.
We will not stop asking for this restoration.
Written public comment on closed session items must be submitted by 12:00 pm Thursday. If you have concerns about the direction of the board, Thursday is the time to make your voice heard.
Action Item: Please join us at the meeting, witness what happens in the room.
Quotes shared from community members who attended their first school board meeting on 2/12/2026. Watch Here
“In my twenty years of professional experience, I have never seen a meeting so derailed by ego and micromanagement. When a single petition overshadows strategic conversations about AI and the future of education, something is broken. Parents, we cannot afford apathy. Show up to the meetings. Demand better. Our children deserve leadership with vision.” - LBUSD Parent
“I attended my first board meeting after watching on Zoom for the last year. I knew there was dysfunction watching from home, but a recording doesn’t come close to capturing the tension, theatrics and effect on the community. It was a seven hour long spectacle. Being there in person opened my eyes and that’s exactly why more of us need to show up in person.” - LBUSD Parent
“For the past year I regularly watch the LBUSD board meetings online and attended a few at the beginning of last year. A few weeks ago, I went to Thurston to watch it in person. I am painfully aware of how bad the meetings have been going, but this past one blew my mind. To sit in the room and experience the chaos, disrespect, and disorder was a whole other experience. I am saddened that this board majority is tanking the reputation of our schools, regularly disrespecting our staff, and creating a deepening divide between the board and the focus on our students. I urge anyone who is able to attend in person to do so. We, as parents and community members, must show our wonderful teachers and district staff that we see what’s happening and stand with them in support.” - LBUSD Parent
How to Support FUEL:
Attend February 26th Board Meeting at 6:00pm: Thurston Middle School Library
Submit Public Comment by 12:00 pm on 2/26: Link
Join us at Saturday’s Laguna Beach Farmer’s Market Volunteer: Link
We want to say something from the heart: the FUEL community has shown up in extraordinary ways. New voices are joining. Our coalition is growing stronger. And that strength is exactly what this moment requires. November 2026 is on the horizon, and between now and then, our work of documenting, informing, organizing, and engaging is more important than ever. We are grateful for every single one of you who refuses to look away.
With care,
FUEL Board
