Pasadena Star-News

3 comments

Pasadena-Star News newspaper link:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19294276

Pasadena residents crowd PUSD chamber to demand equal treatment
Posted: 11/08/2011 09:29:01 PM PST
Pasadena Journal editor Joe Hopkins waits to speak to the Pasadena Unified School District board meeting Tuesday night, November 8, 2011 to ask what is being done for black students. Hopkins says there is a racial discrimination by having programs to close the achievement gap for latinos but not for black students. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/SXCITY)
Photo gallery: PUSD March for equal treatment

PASADENA – President of the Pasadena-branch NAACP Joe Brown blasted Pasadena Unified School District officials Tuesday characterizing the district as a “pipeline” to prison.

“Black males are … disproportionately disciplined within this district,” Brown wrote in prepared remarks. “Suspension and expulsion rates are linked to incarceration rates. Couple their discipline records with their literacy rates and we have created a veritable school-to-prison pipeline for our black sons here at PUSD.”

Brown’s comments came during a rally by dozens of black Education Get the scoop on schools, teachers and students.

Nearly 200 residents Tuesday night crowded PUSD headquarters as part of a promised 100-man march on the district led by local attorney and newspaper publisher Joe Hopkins.

The purpose of the march was to air grievances against three members of the PUSD board Hopkins accused of promoting Latino issues at the expense of black students, as well as alleged meddling and micromanaging by Pasadena Unified School District school board members.

Hopkins touted the march for more than a week in his paper, the Pasadena Journal and on its website.

In his editorials, Hopkins equated the march with the grass-roots efforts led during the Civil Rights Movement.



Hopkins and many of the parents assembled challenged whether board members favored student achievement over politics.

“This board fails week after week to come together on issues that concern our students,” Hopkins said. “Instead we have three members who are busy micromanaging the various schools in the district, flexing their muscle and terrorizing principals instead of carrying out their mandate to make policy that keeps all of our kids on the path to success.”

Hopkins pointed much of his wrath at the board minority composed of members Ramon Miramontes, Scott Phelps and Kim Kenne.

Offering a prepared speech to reporters prior to addressing the board, Hopkins questioned ongoing PUSD programs geared toward Latino students. He said similar programs are not in place to help black students.

“The district has a policy that guarantees there are special programs for Latino students to bring their scores up,” Hopkins said.

“This march is to ask what is being done for black students at the Pasadena Unified School District,” Hopkins said. “We challenge the district to do the right thing as it relates to black students.”

Miramontes declined to comment.

“I’ve got nothing to say,” Miramontes said.

While the board minority didn’t fire back during Tuesday night’s meeting, Phelps counter-punched during a break in proceedings.

“I just hope what Hopkins had to say leads to something good,” Phelps said.

In an emailed statement issued Tuesday night Randy Ertll, head of El Centro De Accion Social agreed the PUSD board needs to address the needs of all students in the district.

“African American and Latino community members and leaders need to come together to discuss how the achievement gap for African American and Latino students need to be addressed immediately with a simple, straightforward, plan that can be effectively implemented across PUSD schools,” Ertll said.

Ertil said the board should directly address some key questions: “How are Title I funds being used? are they equitably distributed to help our most needy students?

“We need to come together – in a civil and constructive manner. Not destructive. We need to build up PUSD – together as one community.”

In an op-ed published Sunday in the Valley Sun, Phelps lauded the board minority’s efforts to keep budget cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, their fight to keep Norma Coombs Alternative and Jackson Elementary schools open and the creation of a dropout task force.

Former Muir High School student Marisol Salcedo, 23, a student at PCC, said she was saddened by divisions in the community.

“It looks like we’re divided,” Salcedo said. “It’s sad to see when I drive by John Muir High School police cars are there when instead they should be at Victory Park asking kids why the aren’t at school.”

In her remarks to the board Salcedo defended the district’s focus on Latino students.

It starts with parent involvement,” she said.

In recent days, Hopkins has also questioned Miramontes’ comments and involvement in the criminal investigation of John Muir High School football coach Ken Howard.

Howard was involved in a physical altercation with a student on Sept. 28.

The scuffle led to Howard’s indefinite suspension from his coaching duties and misdemeanor battery charges. Hopkins is Howard’s attorney.

Staff writer Brian Charles contributed to this story.

brian.charles@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 4494
Twitter.com/JBrianCharles

  1. Very good article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.

  2. The data mentioned in the article are a number of the best offered

  3. This very blog is no doubt awesome additionally amusing. I have found many interesting stuff out of this source. I ad love to go back again and again. Cheers!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>