Pasadena : School Transfer Denied

The California Supreme Court has denied the appeal of 71 families seeking to transfer from the Pasadena Unified School District to the San Marino Unified School District.

The ruling, handed down Dec. 17, upholds a Court of Appeal decision in favor of Pasadena Unified, which kept the families from leaving the district.

The families live in an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County that is part of the Pasadena district, but say they identify more with the community of San Marino.

In its ruling, the court concluded that “the proposed reorganization would carve out a small enclave which is 70% white from a predominantly minority district which has struggled for years with the problem of segregation, and transfer it to a largely white and affluent district.”

Ralph Hofer, an attorney and spokesman for the parents group, denied that race was an issue and said he intends to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case.

“We have hopes,” said Hofer, who put his two children in private schools rather than enrolling them in Pasadena schools.

The attorney pointed out that the State Board of Education ruled in favor of the parents two years ago.

He believes that the state Supreme Court dismissed the case because it was “a political hot potato” in light of the Los Angeles riots and the near bankruptcy of the Los Angeles Unified School District.