South Pasadena Unified School District

When she heard that the superintendent had reassigned her principal in March, South Pasadena High School senior Kate Davis was outraged. She and a couple of hundred of her classmates walked out. Kate's father, however, supported the move. Lloyd Davis moved from Pasadena so his children could attend the renowned South Pasadena Unified School District. He says the caliber of the high school has deteriorated. And, he believes Principal Janet Anderson is to blame.

The South Pasadena school board and Supt. Rob Arias agreed to part ways this week after more than two months of intense public scrutiny following their decision to reassign four administrators. The school board voted 4 to 1 in a special closed session late Tuesday to accept the superintendent's resignation and to issue a public statement that acknowledged no wrongdoing on either side. "We think he would be more successful at a different district," said board President Joe Loo.

A derelict house in South Pasadena's Valley View Heights neighborhood was demolished Monday. But rather than leave an empty lot, the demolition made way for a Craftsman home that will be moved to the site tonight. The house on Berkshire Avenue has been vacant for eight years after it was acquired by the state nearly three decades ago for completion of the Long Beach Freeway extension. Its site is no longer on the proposed freeway route.

South Pasadena's school board has placed on the Nov. 7 ballot a $28.7-million bond issue that would pay for campus repairs. The measure would require at least two-thirds voter approval. If it passes, property owners would pay an extra $62 a year in property taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value. The money would go to dozens of repairs in the South Pasadena Unified School District that were recommended by a task force in November, including maintenance to meet earthquake and building codes.