As the Los Angeles Unified School District heads back to school, nearly 2,500 students at Palisades Charter High will start the year in their temporary campus at the old Santa Monica Sears. But unless you were in the market for a new appliance about a decade ago, you might not even recognize the transformed space—which has become a fully operational learning environment following the devastating wildfire that swept through the Palisades earlier this year.

After the fire left three of our public schools damaged and inoperable, I knew we had to act quickly. As the LAUSD Board Member representing the Palisades Charter High community, I was one of a large group of civic leaders, school staff, and external partners who faced a clear and urgent mandate: get students back to school.

And we did.

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