By Emily S on May 16, 2026 Verified by Google

My districts experience with TSS was 100% negative. An educational consulting firm should know that discussions about closures need to be open, honest, and transparent. Yet, the president and CEO advised our board members to NOT discuss their meetings with the superintendent, stating that he would not either. Then, the executive vice president encouraged our board members to involve legal council so that communications could be kept secret. They knew better, and yet they strived for secrecy.
TSS worked with a committee of citizens on a school consolidation process. The TSS consultant was often unable to answer questions posed by the committee, and never followed up. Promised literature, studies, and data were not delivered. During the last meetings, when citizens raised concerns, he would not speak to them and rushed through the process. He did not allow any questions. He interrupted committee members trying to speak.
Do not hire this dishonest and incompetent company. If you're school district considers hiring them, tell them a firm NO.

By Lisa Kroese on May 13, 2026 Verified by Google

Our community’s experience with Total School Solutions during the Pasadena Unified's proposed consolidation process left many families deeply disappointed and distrustful of them.

Rather than fostering transparency, independence, and authentic community engagement, the process felt managed, predetermined, and overly focused on directing and controlling outcomes instead of listening to stakeholders. Polls were push polls not scientific efforts to find out what the community wanted. When committee members felt so uncomfortable with voting, results were published that did not reveal the number of no votes and implied consensus that didn't exist.

Community members repeatedly raised concerns that desired outcomes appear to have been shared behind closed doors long before the public was included in the conversation.

What families needed was a visioning process, instead a no bid contract went to a consultant who knew the board president's desired school closure list in advance. Many parents and educators walked away feeling that the process was just intended to create a veneer of independence and community input while actually marginalizing the voices of communities most affected by potential closures. No efforts were made to examine if children would attend the schools proposed as replacements before equity impact analysis was prepared declaring there wouldn't be negative impacts to integration.

The result was wasted money, new legal expenses, division, confusion, and growing concern about transparency and governance for the trustees who engaged this company before approving a no bid contract. Any consultant involved in public school consolidation should understand that communities deserve honesty not pithy comments, fake research, and incorrect data.

PUSD deserved a process grounded in openness, accountability, and public trust. Unfortunately, this group led something focused on mangled attempts to manage optics without genuinely partnering with the community.

Hire someone else.