What’s Going On in LBUSD? Start Here.
A beginner’s guide to LBUSD’s new superintendent, board governance, student outcomes, the school bond, and the issues voters should understand before November. Updated July 14, 2026.
Updated July 14, 2026: This guide has been fully revised to reflect LBUSD’s new superintendent, the ACLU’s challenge to the Board’s closed-session practices, the developing school bond, and the issues shaping the November election.
A lot is happening in LBUSD right now, and it can be hard to know where to start.
The district has a new superintendent, there are still serious questions about how the Board handled that transition, the ACLU has challenged the Board’s closed-session practices, a major school facilities decision is coming, and the November election is already shaping how people talk about all of it.
This guide is meant to give people a place to begin and a way to understand the record behind the headlines, arguments, and campaign talking points.
LBUSD has real issues that deserve attention, including student outcomes, spending, facilities, special education, transportation, and long-term planning. I also think it matters how those questions are asked, whether the facts support the claims being made, and what the constant conflict means for the people actually doing the work.
I write about LBUSD as a parent who is paying attention, reading the materials, following the meetings and data, and trying to make sense of what is actually happening beneath all the noise.
New to all of this? Start with these five.
These five pieces provide the clearest introduction to the central questions facing LBUSD right now: who runs the district, how the Board uses its authority, whether public rules are being followed, what the facilities decision means, and why November matters.
When Oversight Becomes Interference
Start here for the basic governance question underlying many of LBUSD’s current conflicts: where does the School Board’s authority end and the superintendent’s responsibility begin?
The Superintendent Knows His Role. Thoughts & Prayers for the Board Majority.
Dr. Don Austin appears to understand the superintendent’s role. His success may depend on whether the Board allows him to perform it.
ACLU Letter to Laguna Beach School Board Is About More Than Closed Session
The ACLU dispute raises larger questions about confidentiality, public accountability, legal authority, and how the Board responds when its conduct is challenged.
The Same Tax Rate, a New Promise to Laguna’s Kids
An introduction to the school bond that will be on the ballot in November, the facilities it would support, the oversight protections attached to it, and why the measure would not increase the existing estimated tax rate.
The First Test of LBUSD’s New Board Majority
A look at one of the earliest major decisions made by the current majority and what it revealed about the governing direction that followed.
The Superintendent Transition
These pieces follow LBUSD from the expectation of a superintendent search through the Board’s rapid appointment process and into the beginning of Dr. Don Austin’s leadership.
Board Governance & Public Accountability
School boards are supposed to set direction, adopt policy, approve budgets, evaluate the superintendent, and provide public oversight. These pieces examine what happens when that authority becomes blurred, selectively applied, or exercised outside the public’s view.
Students, Outcomes, & the Story Behind the Numbers
Test scores and district data matter, but they do not explain a school system by themselves. These pieces provide a broader look at what LBUSD’s numbers show, what they leave out, and how data can be used to inform the public or mislead it.
The Budget, Facilities, & School Bond
LBUSD has strong local property tax revenue, significant facilities needs, and an important decision ahead about how to fund those needs. These pieces explain the basic financial and facilities questions.
The Current Board Majority & the November Election
The November election is coming. These pieces explain how the current majority has governed, how individual trustees have used their positions, and why voters should examine the public record before campaign messaging takes over.
Teachers, Staffing, & District Stability
These pieces examine how board decisions, public narratives, and leadership instability affect the people doing the work within the district.
Who I Am
I am an LBUSD parent, not a district employee, elected official, or professional education reporter. This piece explains why I began documenting the “public record” and what I hope this work contributes to our community.
Why This Matters
November is coming, and soon everyone will have a slogan, a mailer, and a version of what happened.
The work now is to understand the substance before the campaign language takes over. That means looking at the records, following the decisions, and paying attention to what those choices mean for students, families, teachers, staff, and the wider community.
LBUSD is more than budgets, buildings, test scores, and board agendas. It is trust, leadership, and the daily experience of the people inside our schools.
That is what voters will be deciding.
Parents and residents seeking additional ways to get involved can also learn more about FUEL (Families Unified for Education in Laguna).
A Public Record for Laguna Schools will remain accessible to everyone. Paid subscriptions and patron support help cover the time, research, public-record, and platform costs required to keep this work organized and available to the community.