By Joe Piasecki
Pasadena Sun
Conflict and acrimony between factions of the Pasadena Board of Education are threatening to erode confidence in the city's public schools, which some observers see as pawns in a power struggle that is rooted outside classroom doors.The seven-member board is routinely divided 4-3, with the minority accusing board President Renatta Cooper and her allies of delaying important agenda items and preserving the status quo in a system that they believe needs a shakeup. Critics of the board minority say its members adopt a purposely confrontational approach that serves broader political ambitions far better than it serves the district's nearly 20,000 students.
Board member Scott Phelps said the conflict is driven by differing views of the board's mandate. A member of the minority bloc with Ramon Miramontes and Kim Kenne, Phelps said, “Elected representatives should be governing the school district, but the majority prefers the administration work out all the decisions and we just sort of approve them.”
