| | News from Laguna Beach Unified School District, its teachers, students, staff and Board of Education. | | Laguna Beach USD joins nation’s first organic school food purchasing cooperative | | Founding membership will give the district another way to source organic ingredients for school meals | | |
Laguna Beach Unified School District has joined the Conscious Organic School Food Purchasing Co-op (Conscious Co-op) as one of its 17 founding districts. Launched by Conscious Kitchen, the cooperative brings school districts together to expand access to organic food by leveraging their collective purchasing power.
The Conscious Co-op connects participating districts with food distributors UNFI and Sysco. Together, the districts can give distributors a clearer picture of what schools need, helping expand the organic products available to school kitchens and create more dependable markets for farmers and food makers. The founding districts collectively serve more than 300,000 students.
For LBUSD, co-op membership could make organic alternatives to ingredients already used in student meals more affordable, helping the district improve ingredient quality while making its food budget go further.
Conscious Co-op membership also connects LBUSD with school nutrition leaders who share practical ways to prepare meals using organic ingredients. Conscious Kitchen’s Recipe Project starts with dishes students already enjoy, then brings nutrition teams, chefs, and students together to test recipes and gather feedback. An Orange County Recipe Project workshop is planned for October 21.
| | New arts coordinator outlines priorities for district programs | |
At the Oct. 8 meeting, the Board received an introductory presentation from Alexis Karol, LBUSD's new coordinator of visual and performing arts, outlining priorities for districtwide coordination, communication, and community partnerships. The presentation highlighted the district's continued investment in arts education, with expenditures increasing from approximately $1.8 million in 2016–17 to $4.2 million in 2025–26.
Karol identified three initial areas of focus: supporting teachers and students, sharing student arts experiences and achievements with the broader community, and strengthening relationships with local arts organizations. Her work will also support the Ad Hoc Arts Committee and efforts to expand student access to arts opportunities across grade levels.
| Board reviews state assessment results and student growth opportunities | |
At the Oct. 8 meeting, the Board received an update on 2026 state assessment results and how LBUSD uses this information to identify gaps in student learning and develop targeted plans to address them. Districtwide, 78.3% of students met or exceeded standards in English language arts, 73.3% in mathematics, and 70.1% in science, though results revealed differences in achievement among student groups and schools.
El Morro Elementary School shared how its focus on targeted instruction and regular reviews of student progress helped guide improvements in mathematics, with schoolwide proficiency increasing from 68% in 2024–25 to 79% in 2025–26. Across LBUSD, school teams will continue reviewing student progress every six to eight weeks to assess what is working, adjust instruction, and provide additional support where students need it most.
| Board reviews graduation and promotion ceremony costs | |
At the Oct. 8 meeting, the Board reviewed cost changes for the 2025 and 2026 Laguna Beach High School graduation and Thurston Middle School promotion ceremonies. The discussion examined increased expenses associated with venue changes, audiovisual production, including large screen video feeds, closed captioning, and livestream access, as well as accommodations for guests with disabilities and mobility needs.
For 2027, LBHS graduation will return to the Irvine Bowl, while Thurston's promotion ceremony will take place at Guyer Field. Further review of graduation costs and opportunities to reduce promotion expenses for future ceremonies will be brought to the Board as part of the district's broader budget development process.
| | Board begins review of 2027–28 budget assumptions | |
At the Oct. 8 meeting, Superintendent Don Austin, Ed.D., introduced a new approach to the district's annual budget development process, with monthly discussions designed to provide greater clarity about the cost of LBUSD operations and how financial decisions reflect district priorities. The initial budget assumptions document outlines projected revenues, enrollment, staffing, employee benefits, instructional materials, facilities maintenance and other operating costs.
The document will evolve throughout the school year as new information becomes available and cost estimates are refined. The monthly discussions will provide the community opportunities to examine expenditures, understand financial tradeoffs and see how district priorities shape budget decisions before the Board adopts the 2027–28 budget in June 2027.
| Board reviews proposed policy updates | |
At the Oct. 8 meeting, the Board conducted a first reading of five proposed policy and bylaw updates, many of which reflect changes in state law, regulatory requirements and guidance from the California School Boards Association. The items addressed volunteer assistance, superintendent responsibilities and duties, weather safety, student records and Board member training.
Board Policy 2110, Superintendent Responsibilities and Duties, was referred back to the Governance Committee for further review and refinement of language to align with the California Education Code. The remaining policies will return to the Board for further consideration and possible adoption.
| Superintendent's Weekly Update | This week’s Superintendent’s Weekly Update highlights cybersecurity efforts, support for multilingual learners, the district’s commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, and early learning opportunities for LBUSD’s youngest students. Read these stories and other updates from across LBUSD. | The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is on October 22, 2026. Visit lbusd.org/board for more information. | | | | | |
