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!
