Pat Amsbry joins the show to discuss his journey from advertising and owning a small business to why he is running for the PUSD Board for District 3.

A product of public schools, Pat has an interesting history. His family could not lottery into PUSD to accommodate his son’s special needs, so they had to explore private school options. However, believing that our community should better support its local schools, Pat and his wife created Friends of Madison Elementary, a non-profit donor-advised fund that provides charitable and educational support for students and their families and teachers and staff. Pat discusses his top priorities for PUSD, including improving 3rd Grade reading and accountability, and we close our conversation with his perfect day in The Crown City.

To learn more about Pat and his campaign, please visit www.pat4pusd.com and to support Friends of Madison Elementary, please visit www.friendsofmadison.org .

Episode 35: Patrice Marshall McKenzie joins the show to talk about the role that Pasadena public schools had in her success, her journey in education policy, and why she is running for the PUSD Board for District 5.

Believing that public education is a community benefit, Patrice has championed collaboration and policies to not only improve schools but other important operations like how contracts are awarded. Since 2015, Patrice has worked for LAUSD Board Member Dr. George McKenna and currently serves as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Showing her commitment to improving Pasadena schools and preparing them for the future, Patrice co-chaired the “Yes on Measure O” campaign, which raised $516 million in bonds to upgrade schools and infrastructure. Patrice shares her vision for Pasadena public schools and how we can make PUSD a premier school district, and we close our conversation with her perfect day in Pasadena.