Invest in PUSD Kids is a network of parents, teachers, and community members who share a belief in the value of public education.
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History of IIPK

Invest in PUSD Kids is a four-year old grassroots organization created to give parents and families a greater voice in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) and improve conditions in the public schools.

 

A group of parents, community residents, and teachers called the group “Invest in PUSD Kids” because we wanted our broader community to come together and invest more of its resources, time and talents to support our public schools.  We wanted to help organize a unified voice that would hold accountable our community leaders to keep public education as a top priority.  Our mission is to broaden, strengthen, and give voice to the constituency for our public schools.

 

We have seen progress made toward these goals and we have helped put schools “on the agenda” of city officials in Pasadena, Sierra Madre and Altadena as well as candidates for office, business leaders, and nonprofit organizations. PUSD schools are no longer treated like an orphan. 
 
This initial core group saw a lack of parent and community engagement as a key barrier to success in area schools. Quickly it became apparent that many others shared their concerns. Invest in PUSD Kids has steadily grown into a  network of almost 1,000 individuals, linked by an email listserve and regular public meetings and actions. Our network has enabled us to respond quickly when opportunities arise to demonstrate public support for education.

 

PUSD is an urban school district that includes the cities of Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre, located in Los Angeles County.  PUSD enrolls about 20,000 students, two-thirds of whom are eligible for free-and-reduced meals.

 
 IIPK’ dedicated group of volunteers soon began to work to make sure that area schools were seen as a top priority by city officials and the community at large.

 

Pasadena is an ideal place for a community organizing group focusing on public education.  Between Pasadena (about 140,000 population), Sierra Madre (11,000) and Altadena (43,000), the school district has an economically and racially diverse population of almost 200,000 residents.  It is large enough to have all the problems and potentials of an urban school district, but small enough so that a strong community organizing group can gain a voice and win real victories that improve conditions. 

 

 

Invest in PUSD Kids has begun to change the political playing field by creating an organized constituency for public schools.

 

Over the last several years, we have had a number of impressive accomplishments and victories, including:

 

  • 2007:  IIPK organized meetings with most members of the Pasadena City Council, some members of the Sierra Madre City Council, some members of the Altadena Town Council, and every member of the PUSD school board.  As a result of IIPK ‘s efforts the PUSD School Board and Pasadena City Council began to hold regular (quarterly) meetings and formed a staff task force to identify ways to collaborate.  A year later, the school board held joint meetings with the Sierra Madre and Altadena councils. We also organized a voter registration drive at every PUSD school.

 

·      2007: To encourage further City-School partnerships, IIPK partnered with key area organizations to organize a city-schools partnership forum, attended by over 300 people, including a number of elected officials.  Invest in PUSD Kids reached out to other groups to cosponsor this event, including United Teachers of Pasadena, the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, several churches, the Pasadena Educational Foundation, and APPLE (a Latino organization).  IIPK also conducted a study and issued a report documenting “best practices” of city-school partnerships across California. As a result, the issue of City-School cooperation is now on the agenda. When the school district was forced to eliminate its own police department, the City of Pasadena agreed to have its Police Department assume this responsibility (at a cost of over $1 million/year).

 

  • 2008: IIPK led a massive march and rally attended by over 800 people to draw attention to state budget cuts to education.

 

  • 2009: In response to a misleading and inaccurate portrayal of area schools in the Pasadena Star News, hundreds of IIPK members called and emailed newspaper officials. In an unprecedented turn of events the paper issued a front page correction and apology for inaccuracies in the story. An article about this protest appeared in the Huffington Post: CLICK HERE

 

  • 2010: In December 2009, we mobilized about 75 people to attend a School Board meeting to encourage the board to put a parcel tax measure on the May ballot in order to help fill the $25 million budget gap created by state cutbacks to public education.  IIPK has taken responsibility a significant part of the grassroots field component of the campaign, which is being sponsored by a private group, Citizens for Quality Schools. If the parcel tax (which requires a 2/3 vote) wins, PUSD will be the only urban school district in Southern California to have done so.

 

We expect to identify, recruit, and train at least 300 people (mostly PUSD parents) to participate in this effort. When the parcel tax campaign is over in May (win or lose), Invest in PUSD Kids will have a much stronger volunteer base, which can then be mobilized for other issue campaigns. But without full-time staff, IIPK will be unable to fully take advantage of this opportunity.

 

Since it’s beginning, IIPK has operated on an all-volunteer basis, without a budget or paid staff. Despite significant successes, the leadership of IIPK now realizes that they have reached their limits of effectiveness.

 

Recognizing this, in early 2009 IIPK reached out to LA Voice, the Los Angeles area affiliate of the PICO National Network, one of the most respected and effective grassroots organizing efforts in the United States. Members of IIPK were familiar with LA Voice’s effective work and sought the help and advice of an experienced organizer to give IIPK’s leaders suggestions for strengthening its capacity.

 

Invest in PUSD Kids is governed by a steering committee that is open to anyone who is interested in helping. We created this website, maintained by a parent volunteer. We have regular public meetings that now average more than 50 residents.

 

In 2009, we began organizing a series of house meetings, small discussion groups (about 8 to 12 people) where parents and concerned residents share their hopes and fears for public schools.  By the end of 2009, the group will have completed about 15 house meetings, and anticipate another wave of housing meetings in 2010. We anticipate that the first three waves of house meetings will bring together 250 people.

 

These meetings have helped to build trust across lines of race, neighborhood, religion, and income. House meeting participants have also been attending school board meetings, back-to-school nights and city council meetings across the district. We have generated a tremendous amount of excitement and momentum over the last year.

IIPK Steering Committee members:
Ria Apodaca, Cushon Bell, Peter Dreier, Darla Dyson,
Rob Filback, Joan Goulding, Ed Honowitz, Monica Hubbard, Kim Kenne, Ruth Mielke, Dawn O'Keeffe, Chris Redfearn, Susan Savitt-Schwartz, and Nora Schneir.