School Board Member Updates the Human Relations Commission

On Wednesday, Beverly Hills Unified School District board member Dr. Brian Goldberg updated the Human Relations Commission on several crucial issues facing the district, including the hiring of several new principals for local schools, an interim superintendent and the ongoing challenge by out-of-district students to the elimination of permits.

As the district prepares for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year, Goldberg said Steve Kessler has been named principal at Horace Mann, David Hoffman takes over at El Rodeo and Carter Paysinger has been named interim principal at Beverly Hills High School. He also said board members were very pleased that Toni Staser was about to begin her second year as principal at Hawthorne.

Paysinger, the longtime athletic director, football coach and vice principal of BHHS was named interim principal on July 8.

"We are very pleased that Carter has been named the first African-American principal in the high school's history," Goldberg said. "He will serve as principal for the 2010-2011 school year and is a candidate for the permanent position. We are very pleased that he was the most qualified candidate to be named interim principal."

Goldberg told the seven-member committee that the district "was in excellent hands" with the hiring of Dick Douglas as acting superintendent. Douglas, a former principal of Hawthorne, returned to the district on July 1 and has a contract that runs through Sept. 30.

Most recently, Douglas served as the superintendent of Santa Barbara County's Montecito Union School District. Goldberg explained that on July 8, the school board interviewed four superintendent candidates in closed session.

"Three candidates have been asked to return to the July 20 closed session meetings for further interviews," said Goldberg, who declined to identify the candidates who are being interviewed to replace Douglas on a permanent basis.

"Our next superintendent is taking over during an interesting time for the district," he said. "There has been a lot of change. We are also excited that they'll be a key leader in implementing our multi-cultural policies."

In terms of  students and parents appealing the district's decision to eliminate out-of-district permits, Goldberg said the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LAEOC)  has heard 39 appeals to date, with the district winning 29 cases and 10 students receiving permits for the upcoming school year. He said the district didn't know how many appeals were pending before LACOE, but that any future appeals would be heard by Oct. 1.

Commissioner Ilona Sherman asked if Goldberg knew what basis and criteria the LACOE used to overturn the district and approve a permit.

Goldberg explained that the board "looked at cases individually," and there was nothing the school district could do. As for students who were denied permits, he said their only recourse was to sue the district.

He added that some parents have threatened to sue the district, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. He described them as "frivolous lawsuits."