| | News from Laguna Beach Unified School District, its teachers, students, staff and Board of Education. | | Board reviews community bond survey results | | |
At the April 9 meeting, the Board received a presentation from True North Research summarizing the results of a community survey related to a potential school facilities bond. The survey was conducted to provide a statistically reliable assessment of community perspectives and to help inform how a potential bond measure could be structured.
The survey was conducted in early March and included 547 likely voters, selected using a representative sampling method based on factors such as age, geography, and voting history. Participants were invited through a combination of email, text, and phone outreach, and responses were collected through both online and telephone formats. In addition to measuring baseline support, the survey was designed to test how voter opinions may shift when presented with additional information, including potential project lists and arguments for and against a bond measure.
The Board discussed next steps and timelines for a potential November 2026 bond measure, including coordination with the Ad Hoc Facilities Master Plan Committee, which is responsible for assessing district facility needs and supporting Board oversight; continued community engagement; and refinement of project priorities. If the Board elects to move forward, a resolution to place a bond measure on the November 2026 ballot would need to be adopted by early August 2026, to meet the Orange County Registrar of Voters deadlines for the November general election.
| | LBHS students team up with Roark in creative design collaboration | |
Roark, a Laguna Beach–based lifestyle and apparel brand, partnered with Laguna Beach High School students on a collaborative design project that offers real-world learning opportunities.
The company’s founder, a former LBUSD student, worked with LBHS teacher Scott Wittkop, who leads the school’s Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway in multimedia, to guide students through a project to design a hat and T-shirt that reflect the Roark brand and Laguna Beach's cultural influences. Students worked in groups over several months, with Roark designers providing feedback and helping refine their ideas.
The project culminated in student presentations to the Roark team, who selected one group as the final winner. Their design will be produced and sold at Roark’s flagship store at the Irvine Spectrum.
The project provided students with hands-on experience in design, collaboration, and professional feedback, and strengthened connections between the school and the local business community. The district will share updates on the product launch on its social media channels.
| Laguna Beach High School Theatre students earn top honors at California State Thespian Festival | |
Students from Laguna Beach High School’s theatre program earned multiple top placements and statewide recognition at the California State Thespian Festival, one of the largest gatherings of high school theatre students in the state.
The annual three-day festival, held at Pomona College, brings together more than 1,000 students from across California to compete in performance and technical theatre events, participate in workshops led by industry professionals, and audition for scholarships. Students compete in “Thespy” events, adjudicated categories that include acting, dance, musical theatre, and technical design, where participants are evaluated by theatre professionals and ranked against peers statewide.
| Join us for LBUSD’s Celebration of the Arts | |
Laguna Beach Unified School District invites the community to the annual Celebration of the Arts, an evening showcasing the creativity and talent of students across all grade levels.
Join us on April 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Laguna Beach High School for a campus-wide experience featuring student artwork and live performances in dance, theatre, choir, band, and orchestra.
| | Board continues discussion on communications plan | |
At the April 9 meeting, the Board continued its discussion of the district’s communications plan, building on a prior presentation and review of the current framework aligned to Board Policy 1100. The discussion focused on roles and responsibilities in district communications, including how the superintendent and Board president collaborate on messaging and how Board policies guide public communication.
Staff noted that a revised communications plan is in development and will incorporate Board feedback, community input, and recent communication initiatives.
| Board receives staffing update on class sizes | |
At the April 9 meeting, the Board received a staffing update focused on average class sizes across the district and comparisons with similar school systems. The report provided an overview of class sizes by grade span, with averages of 18.4 students in grades K–2, 22.9 in grades 3–5, 23.7 in grades 6–8, and 19.6 in grades 9–12.
The presentation also reviewed class sizes by subject area at the middle and high school levels and included comparisons with neighboring and similar districts using state-reported data.
| Community meeting: share your input on school priorities | |
LBUSD invites students, families, staff and community members to participate in an upcoming LCAP Community Convening on Thursday, April 30, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Laguna Beach High School.
The LCAP is the District’s three-year plan that outlines priorities, goals and investments to support student success. This meeting offers an opportunity to learn more about how our schools are performing, review progress and share input to help guide future decisions. We encourage all community members to attend and be part of the conversation. Please register in advance to participate. Childcare will be available for students in grades K–5.
| Thurston students recognized for excellence in civics education | |
Civics education in California builds across grades K–12 through the history-social science standards, from early lessons in citizenship to deeper study of constitutional democracy and civic participation.
At Thurston Middle School, eighth-grade students demonstrated their learning through a Constitution test modeled after the U.S. Citizenship exam, with 53 students earning scores between 98 and 100 percent. Congressman Dave Min visited campus to recognize these students and present them with Constitutional Scholar certificates.
| The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 6 p.m. Visit lbusd.org/board for more information. | | | | | |
