A Statement from FUEL | Families Unified for Education in Laguna

We are devastated.

Tonight, in a 3-2 vote, the LBUSD Board Majority approved a mutual separation agreement with our Superintendent , Dr. Jason Glass, ending his tenure not even a year into the role. This marks the third superintendent our district has lost in just 18 months.

Dr. Glass came to this district exceptionally qualified for this role, with decades of experience leading large and complex school systems and a clear vision for the future of public education. Our hearts are with Dr. Glass, his wife, and his family tonight. They did not deserve this.

And sadly, this outcome is not a surprise. It is exactly what FUEL has been warning this community about since our founding. We have watched this board majority systematically consolidate control of this district one bylaw change, one closed session, one governance restructuring at a time. Teachers and staff have felt it. Families have witnessed it. Tonight was simply the clearest expression yet of where this has all been heading - they are dismantling our District.

There is no version of a high-performing district where cycling through three superintendents in 18 months is considered normal, healthy, or sustainable. Many in this community, even those who disagreed on other issues, had rallied behind Dr. Glass and saw in him a path toward stability, professionalism, and moving LBUSD forward.

Instead, this power-driven Board Majority has chosen continued chaos.

November cannot come soon enough.

With Resolve, FUEL Board

What is happening at LBUSD right now

Dear FUEL Community,

We are writing to you today with information that is time sensitive and consequential. Please read this in full.

A Pattern That Demands Attention

This district is at a critical moment. What we share below is not speculation. It is a documented pattern of decisions being made behind closed doors, without transparency, without a report out to the public, and without accountability.

In January 2026, this board majority conducted an unplanned superintendent evaluation in closed session. It was not on the regular evaluation schedule. It was not announced in advance. Since that time, the agenda item Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release has appeared in closed session five times. Each time, the board has provided no report out to the public beyond a single standard dismissal. The community has been given no information about what was discussed, what was decided, or what action, if any, was taken.

This week, the board called a special meeting with less than 24 hours notice. (EDIT: This email was drafted prior to the agenda release at 1:30 p.m. on Monday 5/11) The agenda, released Monday afternoon for Tuesday’s special meeting, includes a closed session with Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release on the agenda. Again. For the sixth time.

This is not routine.

A strong, stable, effective superintendent is one of the most important assets a school district can have. The research on this is not ambiguous. Districts that lose strong leadership mid-cycle face real and lasting consequences for students, staff, and community trust. We have watched this board work to incrementally reduce superintendent authority through bylaw changes and governance restructuring. We have watched closed session after closed session pass without a word to the public. We are deeply concerned about what this means for the future of LBUSD and for the students, staff, and families who depend on this district every single day.

---

Mark Your Calendar

Special Board Meeting: TOMORROW, May 12 | Closed Session: 2:30 p.m. | Open Session/Budget Study Session: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. | LBUSD District Office, 550 Blumont Street

The agenda includes a closed session with a Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release item followed by a budget study session. The public may submit comment electronically in advance.

Submit Public Comment for May 12 | Link to Agenda

If you can be there, be there. Your presence matters.

Regular Board Meeting: Thursday, May 14 | Open session begins at 6:00 p.m. | Thurston Middle School Library | Link to Agenda | Link to Public Comment Form

The board will hold two required public hearings: one on the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) for the year ending June 30, 2027, and one on the district budget for the same period. The draft LCAP reflects input through May 1 and will continue to be revised before final adoption in June. Your voice at this hearing can still shape the final plan.

Read the draft, submit feedback using the link below, and show up Thursday.

LCAP and Budget Information: lbusd.org/about/lcap | Submit LCAP Feedback

Farmers Market: Saturday, May 16 | Come find us at the Laguna Beach Farmers Market. Say hello, bring a neighbor, and learn more about what FUEL is working on. Sign up to Volunteer HERE.

How Are Our Students and Schools Doing?

Superintendent Glass published a detailed community article this week benchmarking LBUSD's performance across the district's three goals. It is worth reading in full. Here are the highlights.

On college and career readiness, LBUSD students scored 77.5% proficient in ELA and 72.1% in math on the 2025 state assessment, making LBUSD the highest performing unified school district in Orange County in both subjects and placing us in the top 4% of all unified districts in California. The Class of 2025 graduated at a 97.5% rate. 85% had already earned college credit before leaving our schools.

On social emotional outcomes, suspension rates have fallen from 2.9% in 2023-24 to 1.0% as of April 2026, well below both the state rate of 3.3% and the national rate. Chronic absenteeism climbed midyear and the district responded with targeted family outreach. It has come back down to 9.7% and remains a focus.

On safe and equitable schools, 90% of LBUSD 9th graders report feeling safe at school. Statewide that number is 58%. Achievement gaps for students with disabilities, English learners, and economically disadvantaged students remain a priority and the data shows real progress being made.

Dr. Glass is clear that strong results are not a reason to stop improving. The district is actively studying higher performing schools to learn from them.

---

April 30 Governance Meeting Recap

Enrollment and Interdistrict Transfers

This was a continuation item from April 16 and one of the most substantive conversations we have seen at a board meeting this year.

The data matters. LBUSD is at a 35-year enrollment low. The median age in Laguna Beach is 52.5. The birth rate is less than half the state average. Kindergarten classes of roughly 150 students are replacing graduating classes of roughly 220. This is not a cyclical dip. It is a structural demographic shift.

The proposal on the table is modest. It would expand interdistrict transfer eligibility to children of employees of designated community partners including the city, ECAD, and the College of Art and Design. The city component includes fire, police, and lifeguards. Both the city and ECAD have already expressed enthusiasm. Student board representatives Logan and Ivy spoke supportively. The board's direction was to proceed carefully and develop a comprehensive plan. No action was taken.

Bond Consultant Agreement

The board voted 5-0 to approve an agreement with Team CIVX for bond communications consulting. This is standard practice. The consultant's role is informational, helping shape a potential ballot measure based on community priorities. It is not advocacy. Once a measure is on the ballot the district steps back entirely. The board approves all final language and bond counsel will guide what can and cannot be said throughout the process.

The discussion was more complicated than the decision warranted. The unanimous vote reflected what the evidence supported.

FUEL's View: Our schools need investment and the community deserves a clear, honest picture of what that means. We support moving this forward.

Ad Hoc Governance Committee

The board voted 4-1 to revise the existing ad hoc governance committee, adopting a superseding document brought forward by Trustee Hills. Trustee Malczewski voted no.

Her objection was substantive and worth understanding. Her position is that governance discussions, particularly those touching on board bylaws and the structure of how this district operates, belong in public where the community can observe them as they unfold. The previous board reviewed bylaws annually in open public session. A committee that meets outside of public view and brings recommendations back to the board for a vote is a different model entirely.

This concern does not exist in isolation. We have now seen the arts committee, the transportation committee, and the facilities master plan committee all operate outside of public session and bring budget recommendations directly into the LCAP and budget cycle. Each of those committees did meaningful work. But the public had no window into the deliberations that shaped those recommendations. They arrived as finished packages that may be duplicating efforts happening at the District.

A governance committee operating the same way raises the stakes considerably. Bylaws are not programs. They are the rules that govern how everything else gets decided. And based on what was said openly in this meeting, part of the intent is to revisit the balance of authority between the board and the superintendent. Trustee Hills argued directly that under Ed Code 35161 the superintendent's authority derives from board delegation and that the board retains ultimate responsibility. That is a significant position with significant implications for how this district is run.

FUEL's View: We believe in community engagement and we value the work that community members put into these committees. But community engagement is not the same as public process. The community deserves to watch consequential decisions take shape, not just receive the finished product. We will be paying close attention to how this committee operates and whether its work remains visible to the people it ultimately affects.

Help Us Show Our Coalition

We believe this will be a consequential week for our district and its future. The decisions made in the next few days will have lasting implications for our students, our staff, and the community that has invested in these schools for generations.

We are asking you to show up in whatever capacity you can.

Join Us

• Follow along on Social Media

  • Instagram: @FUELLaguna

  • Facebook: @FUELLaguna

• Reach out to board@fuellaguna.org with questions, connections, or to grab a coffee!

• Say hi at the Farmers Market on Saturday!

Thank you for your support!

SchoolPower and FUEL are not the same

PUBLISHED BY STU NEWS LAGUNA AND LAGUNA BEACH INDEPENDENT ON MARCH 20, 2026

SchoolPower has supported Laguna Beach public schools for 45 years. It was created at a time when the district faced significant financial need and, over decades, has evolved to meet the changing needs of LBUSD. Today the organization raises roughly $1 million each year to support programs and services that benefit children across the district.

At its core, SchoolPower exists for one reason – students.

The organization funds initiatives that help as many children as possible thrive. That includes Educator Grants for teachers, counselors, and administrators who want to bring new ideas to their classrooms and programs. It helps fund science camps so middle school families face less financial burden, and an Athletics Fund that supports middle and high school athletes so students can learn leadership, resilience and teamwork through sports.

SchoolPower also operates the district’s elementary after-school enrichment program (SPASE), serving nearly three-quarters of elementary students, and provides scholarships so families who need support can access these opportunities. Through the Family Resource Center, it also helps fund direct assistance for families in need. In short, it helps provide the wraparound support that many school districts simply cannot fund on their own.

I have served as a SchoolPower trustee for seven years and was president in 2023-2024, a role I’m incredibly proud to have held.

What many people do not understand is that SchoolPower does not direct the school district in any way. It has no authority over curriculum, staffing, academic decisions, or school-site operations. None. SchoolPower exists solely to support students and programs.

Trustees are parent volunteers who donate significant time and financial support because they believe in that mission. They spend countless hours in committee meetings, planning community events and finding new ways to grow programs that benefit our students.

Recently, a narrative has emerged suggesting that SchoolPower and FUEL are somehow connected. That is simply not true.

FUEL formed in response to concerns many parents had after the new school board majority took office at the end of 2024. It is a community advocacy effort focused on governance and the future direction of the district.

Is it surprising that some of the same parents involved in SchoolPower are also active in FUEL? Of course not. Laguna Beach is a small community. The parents who dedicate time and energy to supporting our schools tend to be the same parents who step forward when they believe the district needs engagement or advocacy.

But the two organizations are entirely separate. SchoolPower is a 501(c)(3), it does not engage in governance matters and simply receives periodic updates from school board representatives.

When hearing claims about organizations that support our schools, it is worth considering the source and whether they have any real experience or involvement with the organizations they are speaking about.

Parents who volunteer their time and resources to support public education are a strength of our community.

SchoolPower has been an extraordinary asset to Laguna Beach for nearly half a century. It reflects the best of what a community can do for its schools, and it remains something many of us are deeply proud to support.

Iva Pawling, SchoolPower Trustee and FUEL Board Member

Laguna Beach