Watch CBS News

Beverly Hills High Principal To Step Down, Eyes School Board Seat

BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA.com) — The first black principal at Beverly Hills High School has announced plans to retire and seek a seat on the school board.

Principal Carter Paysinger announced his retirement Tuesday night along with plans to seek a seat on the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education in the November election.

There has never been an African-American elected to the Beverly Hills school board or City Council.

Last July, Paysinger filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging he was the target of a "malicious campaign of discrimination and retaliation" by the district because of his race.

In a statement, Paysinger described working conditions at Beverly Hills High as "appalling" and worse than when he first filed the lawsuit.

He also alleged the school board "threatened to remove him as principal if he chose to file a lawsuit" and called the school board's plan to hire a search firm to find a new principal "completely transparent."

"As I said in my complaint, the board threatened that if I filed a lawsuit, I would lose my job," Paysinger said.

The 58-year-old Paysinger - who graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1974 and was a longtime teacher and coach before becoming principal in 2010 - plans to retire June 30.

While he does not live in Beverly Hills, he has plans to move there, attorney Reed Aljian said.

Three seats on the Board of Education will be up for election in November, including that of current Board President David Goldberg, who has signaled plans to seek reelection.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.