Latino Ousted From Compton School Panel

Pedro Pallan, a prominent leader in Compton’s Latino community, has been removed from the Personnel Commission of the Compton Unified School District on grounds that he does not live in the district.

Pallan, owner of the San Antonio Bakery on Rosecrans Avenue, says, however, that he owns a house in the city and is registered to vote in Compton. Pallan said he believes his removal by the Board of Education is related to his outspoken criticism of the district.

Latinos, who are approaching majority status among the school population, have been complaining that the district does not have enough bilingual teachers and discriminates against Latinos in hiring.

Pallan declined to discuss the residency question further, saying he has hired a lawyer and may bring legal action over his removal.

The three-member commission on which Pallan is serving his second term deals with hiring and employment issues among the district’s non-teaching staff, according to Edward H. Seidler, the district’s director of classified personnel.