Lisa Kroese Realtor
Share
Experienced personal property appraiser and CAR Certified Probate and Trust Specialist. Over 300 estate liquidation clients served. DRE 02095749
Don Benito’s 5th grade families, teachers, and students didn’t wait for a grant, or a wealthy donor to create an outdoor field trip at Pali Mountain Camp.
They sold hot cocoa during the Holiday Light Up, washed cars, and hustled all year. Our community showed up so EVERY single 5th grader and chaperone could go on this field trip — 100% FREE. ❤️
This is what people don’t understand about Don Benito.
Families choose this school not because of a special program, we don’t qualify for a magnet grant. But parents from all over and even outside of PUSD choose it because of the engaging and diverse group of PEOPLE here. The teachers who stay late. The volunteers who show up. The parents building community. The neighbors who invest in kids they may not even know personally.
And now this title one school is being treated like it’s expendable because parents who can find transportation to give their children fully funded opportunities like this are apparently too privileged. And because our neighborhood is valuable real estate. That’s not OK.
Closing schools like Don Benito won’t strengthen PUSD. We can’t destroy one of the few things public education still desperately needs: real community connection.
You cannot relocate this kind of community support.
You cannot replicate this culture.
And you cannot tell working Title I families that the joy, memories, and belonging they built here matter less because they chose a neighborhood school.
Some say parents are selfish for fighting to protect schools like this.
There is nothing selfish about creating enriching opportunities for all children.
There is nothing selfish about preserving a beloved community.
There is nothing selfish about fighting for public schools that make kids feel seen, loved, and excited to learn.
THIS is what support of and investment in children looks like. ❤️ PUSD Trustees need to build up our schools not tear them down.
Title1 Pasadena Altadena SierraMadre PaliCamp ParentPower CommunitySchools FieldTripMemories PublicSchoolProud SupportPublicEducation NeighborhoodSchools PUSDproud
05/22/2026
Unfortunately the same trustees who have mismanaged PUSD to the point that LACOE was about to take over the Pasadena Unified School District are only able to come up another round of consolidations to solve fiscal problems. Studies show consolidations don't save money, that is why after 4 rounds of closures - we are back at it again. With vision, our community can do better. Our children deserve better. Our schools are community assets and our neighbors value community schools. They voted in $1,430,000,000.00 in bonds to support the schools, not to close them. Watch Stanford's Getting Down to Facts and join me in keeping the focus on building up PUSD not tearing it down. Excerpt: "Moving forward, districts pursuing closures to improve their financial outlook should prioritize revenue optimization as a first-order objective, particularly in urban districts where revenue effects are most pronounced." https://gettingdowntofacts.com/reports/fiscal-consequences-school-closures-california-evidence-statewide-synthetic-difference
The Fiscal Consequences of School Closures in California: Evidence from a Statewide Synthetic Difference-in-Differences Design | Getting Down to Facts School closures are frequently justified as fiscal necessities for districts confronting enrollment decline, rising per-pupil fixed costs, and persistent budgetary challenges. Yet causal evidence on their financial consequences remains limited. Drawing on data from all public school districts in Cal...
05/17/2026
Upper Hastings Ranch - Pasadena, CA renters and homeowners, please see the school advocacy updates from the We Love Bon Benito community.
You can subscribe at the bottom of this newsletter to keep our getting updates. Thank you, Nikki Arakawa, for all of your countless hours keeping everyone informed.
Click here:
https://app.smore.com/n/gc0ap
Pasadena Unified School District Don Benito PTA
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Telephone
Website
Address
199 S Los Robles Avenue
Pasadena, CA
91101
