The district had the numbers 13 days before the meeting
Hi everyone,
One more update before Election Day, and then I’ll leave your inbox alone.
For more than 70 years, Laguna Beach High School seniors have graduated at the Irvine Bowl. For families who are newer to town, that may feel like just a venue. For many of us who grew up here, it’s part of the heritage that holds this town together. That’s why so many of you signed.
On Aug. 31, the district received two public records requests from me: one for the 2019 graduation costs, and one for the cost records referenced at the Feb. 12 board meeting. For the 2026 cost records, the first batch arrived on Oct. 20, 50 days later. Here is what they show, as simply as I can put it.
WHAT GRADUATION ACTUALLY COST
According to the district’s Oct. 8 cost comparison, combined costs rose $35,217. That number combines two different ceremonies:
• LBHS graduation: $34,199 in 2025, $57,044 at the Irvine Bowl in 2026. That’s $22,845 more.
• Thurston promotion: $25,695 in 2025, $38,068 in 2026. That’s $12,372 more.
This petition was about the high school graduation. Graduation to graduation, the increase was $22,845, not $35,217. Part of the 2026 increase was for large video screens, closed captioning, livestream access, and accommodations for guests with disabilities and mobility needs.
The good news: Superintendent Don Austin said costs are expected to come down in 2027. The 2027 graduation is expected to return to the Irvine Bowl, and Thurston’s promotion is expected to return to Guyer Field.
WHAT THE DISTRICT HAD, AND WHEN
• Jan. 30, 3:10 PM: Assistant Superintendent Manoj Roychowdhury of the business office sent Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass a side-by-side estimate, with LBHS Principal Dr. Jason Allemann copied. The subject line: “Board Background Documents.” It assumed Thurston would hold its promotion on its own campus. The high school field: $57,519. The Irvine Bowl: $4,000, for buses. In the Bowl column, audio and video were just a dash.
• Feb. 9: Board President Sheri Morgan asked whether there were cost breakdowns for a ceremony at the Irvine Bowl, including audio and video.
• Feb. 12: The high school and Thurston school leaders gave their graduation presentation to the board. The Jan. 30 estimate, with its $4,000 Irvine Bowl figure, was not in it.
See Image 1: The district had the numbers 13 days before the meeting
That’s 13 days between the estimate and the meeting. Someone could say the Bowl numbers weren’t finished, since audio and video were left as a dash. In my opinion, 13 days was enough time to get a quote for the Bowl’s audio and video, and even an unfinished number should have been shared with a note that it was an estimate. Instead, it wasn’t in the presentation the board and the public saw.
I don’t know why. I do believe every family deserved to see both options presented fairly. So the question is simple: the district had this estimate on Jan. 30. Why wasn’t it presented on Feb. 12?
I made a video that walks through these records, with every page and every date. You can watch it and read every record here: https://lizbateslb.com/graduation-records
Thank you for standing up for a tradition that has meant so much to so many Laguna Beach families, mine included.
Dee Perry and I are running for the LBUSD Board to protect traditions like this one and to put students first. If you haven’t voted yet, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can read our priorities for students at www.rootsandresultslaguna.com
With gratitude,
Elizabeth Bates