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Home > Celestial Blood > Pali High principal is optimistic about new school year after wildfire
Podcast: Celestial Blood
Episode:

Pali High principal is optimistic about new school year after wildfire
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-08-12 19:00:00
Description: After January’s Palisades Fire damaged Palisades Charter High School (PCHS), thousands of students there turned to remote learning, then took in-person classes at an old Sears building in Santa Monica, which they dubbed “Pali South.” The new academic term begins on August 13 for students and staff there. The school’s principal, Pam Magee, tells KCRW that the original campus in Pacific Palisades is being cleaned and prepared for students to return in January 2026. Destroyed buildings have been removed, new landscaping has been put down, and temporary classrooms are about 90% completed, she says. Meanwhile, construction of a brand new classroom building will take three years, she estimates. “We're going to be in transition for a little bit, but I think our school and our campus is going to be in great shape while we work through that phase.” As for the surrounding homes and businesses, it’ll be a long time before they’re fully restored. Magee says Pali High is a beacon of hope for the community, and students and staff will likely be among the earliest groups to repopulate the area. Los Angeles Unified School District ensures Pali High complies with state and federal regulations, she points out, since the campus is an independent charter that’s authorized through LAUSD. The two institutions have a close relationship, but Pali High is “very autonomous” with its separate funding and elected school board, whose members determine policies and hiring at PCHS. “They've worked closely with us, and we've tried to figure out a location that would house the school. No small order to try to relocate 2,500 students and keep everyone together. … Both state entities and through the district … people … have really tried to make things happen very quickly. … They were able to bend regulations a little bit to support schools that have been damaged by the fire.” Fire-driven displacement has impacted Pali High, however, since the institution usually has 3,000 students, she acknowledges. “We know families are living in temporary locations while they rebuild their homes. And another, I think, interesting thing to note about Palisades Charter High School is that we serve students from more than 100 ZIP codes from across Los Angeles. So some of those are folks in the immediate Palisades. Others live in other parts of LA and are impacted in other ways.” Magree emphasizes that she’s proud of how the community has responded to the disaster and supported Pali High. “They remain loyal. … The vast majority have wanted to keep their students together with their friends and with their teachers. We've really seen that unity make a profound difference as far as just mental health and feeling again that sense of hope.” More: Palisades High prom offers night to celebrate after the fire
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