Lisa Kroese Realtor

05/27/2026

Who else is ready for Summer?

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

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

05/23/2026

First HYROX ✔️
Still processing how fun-brutal that was 😅
Pushed on adrenaline, survived on vibes, questioned every life choice during the sled push, and somehow crossed the finish line stronger than we started.

Huge shoutout to the community at Elevate Fitness for pushing me through my first one. Already thinking about the next race… which probably means I’ve officially lost it. 💀🔥

You do not have to be perfect. You just have to show up.

HybridAthlete WomensFitness FunctionalFitness EnduranceTraining FitnessMotivation WorkoutMotivation Monrovia 626fitness ElevateFitness RunnerLife GymLife StrongWomen TrainHard FitnessCommunity Mindset PersonalGrowth WeekendWarrior SweatySelfie ChallengeYourself FitnessReels InstaFitness NoDaysOff CardioAndChaos SledPushSurvivor

05/22/2026

Enroll Now banners for charter schools are already hanging on PUSD campuses while many PUSD trustees, administrators, and teachers continue pushing to close community schools. The consolidation advisory group rejected consolidations. Trustees admit closing schools isn’t about saving money. So why are trustees and their allies still pushing for this anyway? What is happening at PUSD right now should alarm every district school supporter in the country. Here’s why:

PUSD is now going to be facing litigation over Brown Act violations taking more funding away from PUSD students and teachers. 3 of the 4 trustees pushing this are charter or private school parents. One accepted campaign contributions from a charter school CEO. Another’s family has a huge foundation that provides substantial funding to charter schools (Helen and Will Webster Foundation).

Closing more PUSD schools won’t magically save jobs or fix the budget. It just weakens education, destabilizes communities, and creates opportunities for privatization.

Our neighborhood schools are not “excess inventory.” They are the heart of our communities. And taxpayers authorized bonds to fund and fix them not to hand them off to developers and charters. Who truly benefits when public schools disappear and charter expansion moves in? Not students. Not teachers. Not Neighborhoods. PUSD

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

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...

05/21/2026

POV: You spend hours putting together custom home valuation reports only for them to say “No I never asked for this.” 😂🏡

Meanwhile I’m over here like:“Ma’am… the computer doesn’t enter addresses by itself.. Someone asked.” 😅

Realtor skills: market analyst, detective, and family therapist. 📈🔍☕️

RealtorProblems JustCheckingIn HousingMarket CaliforniaRealEstate MillionDollarListing CoffeeAndContracts

05/20/2026

Transparency matters — especially from the President of the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education.

In this video, Tina Fredericks claims the board had not met on consolidation and that the process began the moment the resolution directing Dr. Blanco to hire an outside consultant passed. But we now know the consultant had been meeting with trustees and already had Tina’s own internal consolidation plan before ever even speaking with Dr. Blanco.

Her comments are intentionally misleading, the narrow 4/3 majority that want to rush closures before visionary planning were coordinating behind the scenes while telling the public otherwise. This raises serious questions about compliance with the Brown Act. Being dishonest with the School Consolidation Advisory Committee and the public is unacceptable. Misleading the community about decisions impacting children and community schools were already being shaped behind closed doors is unacceptable.

PUSD families deserve transparency, accountability, and leadership we can trust — not secret planning and public denials. This conduct is not befitting of any trustee or board president. These comments were delivered at the April 27 SCAC meeting. The committee meetings should have allowed public comments, they should have been live-streamed for anyone to watch regardless of their ability to attend, and they should have been recorded and stored for viewing by anyone who wanted to review them. A process that would be transparent and equitable and community driven is not what was delivered-Ms. Fredericks drove this behind the scenes and met secretly without informing the superintendent of the conflicts and lack of independence of the consultants. The board trustees who approved $233,000 for this contract misled the public and wasted money that should have been spent on students and classrooms. Not on trying to create an illusion of transparency and integrity that was never there.

PasadenaUnified Accountability

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