| | News from Laguna Beach Unified School District, its teachers, students, staff and Board of Education. | | Laguna Beach Unified School District reports on enrollment, student outcomes, and campus upgrades | | |
Laguna Beach Unified School District opened the 2025-26 school year with 2,333 students enrolled across its preschool, two elementary schools, middle school, and high school. Superintendent Jason Glass, Ed.D., and leadership staff presented the Opening of Schools Report, highlighting college and career outcomes for the Class of 2025, summer learning opportunities, and early learning readiness programs.
The report also spotlighted new student-driven nutrition services, staff professional development, and the addition of 29 new hires, including support for transitional kindergarten expansion. Facility upgrades included stadium improvements at Laguna Beach High School, a new kindergarten restroom at El Morro Elementary, and modernized restrooms at Thurston Middle School. Safety enhancements such as a new visitor management system, upgraded video surveillance, and wildlife fencing were also completed before the start of the school year.
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Board advances Laguna Beach High School pool modernization project | |
At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Board of Education approved advertising for bids to modernize the Laguna Beach High School pool facilities. The $25.1 million project includes demolition, structural upgrades, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, and a complete rebuild of the pool deck and support areas. Construction is scheduled from June 2026 to May 2027 to limit disruption, with athletic programs displaced for one school year.
Funding for the project will be drawn from the district's cash accounts and capital improvement funds, which currently total over $56M. The district may also be eligible for up to $6.7 million in state Proposition 2 funding once project plans are approved and contracts awarded.
| Join the conversation: LBUSD Town Halls with the Superintendent | |
LBUSD is hosting a series of Town Halls, both in person at each school site and virtually, to provide families and community members an opportunity to share feedback directly with the superintendent. The conversations will focus on what the district should continue, what may need to change, and new opportunities to consider.
All Town Halls are open to anyone, regardless of school affiliation. Families and community members are encouraged to attend the session most convenient for them.
🕕 Time: 6–7:30 p.m.
📅 Dates & Locations:
| Two LBHS seniors named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit® Scholarship Program | Two Laguna Beach High School seniors, Estella Newton and Zoe Tran, have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®). They now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth nearly $26 million, which will be awarded in the spring of 2026. | Board forms ad hoc committee to expand arts engagement | At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Board of Education approved the formation of a new Ad Hoc Board Committee for the Arts to support community engagement in arts education. The 15-member committee will be co-chaired by Board President Dee Perry and Board Member Sheri Morgan, and will include additional board appointees, community members selected through an application process, and individuals recruited to ensure broad representation and equity. | | Board updates policy on student mobile device use | The Board of Education conducted a second reading of BP 5131.8, Mobile Communication Devices, which updates district policy to align with state law and best practices. The revisions clarify grade-level expectations for device use and emphasize the role of families in supporting healthy technology habits at home. | LBUSD supports balanced technology use with new resolution | The Board of Education adopted a resolution (no. 25-20) to support efforts to optimize student screen time and reduce excessive use of digital devices. The resolution calls for districtwide guidelines, professional development, family partnerships, and annual progress reports to ensure technology use is purposeful, age-appropriate, and balanced with offline learning. | Board reviews proposed update to Bylaw 9223 on filling vacancies | At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Board of Education conducted a first reading of Board Bylaw 9223, which outlines conditions under which a trustee’s seat may be declared vacant. The proposed change would remove a locally added exception for absences due to illness of an immediate family member, to align the bylaw with state law (Government Code 1770(g); Education Code 5090). The Board directed the superintendent to refer the policy for legal review, including consideration of a local exception for board absences that would align with the statute on vacancies. | Board adopts revisions to Bylaw 9310 on board policies | At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Board of Education approved revisions to Board Bylaw 9310, which governs how district policies and bylaws are developed, reviewed, and adopted. The action followed an Aug. 14 first reading, when trustees reviewed drafts and voted unanimously to refer the proposed changes to legal counsel for review. Since then, the superintendent incorporated counsel’s edits, invited trustee feedback, and considered community input before presenting a single annotated draft for adoption. The updates clarify that policies must advance equity and ensure nondiscriminatory access, and streamline procedures for policy suspension to maintain alignment with state law and governance best practices. Finally, the revisions require a second reading of all bylaw changes before adoption to allow time for deliberation and public input. | The next regularly scheduled board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 6 p.m. Visit lbusd.org/board for more information. | | | | | |
