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# A matter of principal: Samohi gets a new leader
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/a-matter-of-principal-samohi-gets-a-new-leader/
- Published: 2006-08-22T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T21:16:51.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*New Samohi principal a musician with Jackson Browne connections*

DISTRICT HDQTRS. — Santa Monica High School has a new principal.

Dr. Hugo A. Pedroza, currently the principal at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, has accepted the principal position at Samohi, schools superintendent Dianne Talarico said on Monday.

Pedroza has been the principal at Manual Arts High School for the past year and has worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the past 23 years. Manual Arts, which spans grades 0nine through 12, has 4,200 students, with nine small learning communities on a year-round schedule.

The structure is similar to Samohi’s house system, which was part of a redesign that occurred four years ago. The campus was broken into six schools where class sizes are smaller and students receive more personalized instruction from teachers and house principals.

Pedroza has worked as an administrator developing small learning communities at various schools within the LAUSD and was attracted to Samohi because of its house system.

“When I saw the job available at Samohi I had to apply because it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and because of my expertise in smaller learning communities, I think I can take the school to a higher level,” Pedroza said. “I plan to spend a lot of time there, I’m a hands-on principal.”

> “I plan to spend a lot of time there, I’m a hands-on principal.” — DR. HUGO A. PEDROZA SAMOHI PRINCIPAL

Manual Art’s demographic is vastly different than Samohi’s 3,200-student body. The racial make-up of the school is almost entirely Latino and black. The area around Manual Arts is one characterized by high unemployment, single-parent families; a majority of families receive welfare, and live in multi-family rental housing.

The school was over 90 percent African- American 25 years ago and is now over 80 percent Hispanic, with much of that group coming from Central America. Most of the rest of the students are black, with about 1 percent being white, 1 percent Asian and 1 percent Native American. More than half of the students list Spanish as their first language, and the school serves as the third largest with students who have limited English proficiency, meaning they cannot speak, read, write or understand the English language at a level that permits them to interact effectively.

At Samohi, nearly 51 percent of students are white; Hispanics comprise 31 percent and 10 percent are black. Given that Samohi has nearly 49 percent minorities on campus, it has suffered racial tension over the years.

Pedroza has handled his share of racial tension on campus and believes it can be tamed by dealing with the issues proactively and at the parent level.

“The biggest challenge at Manual Arts or any school in South Central LA... is safety,” he said. “You have to provide safety for students and teachers, otherwise you’ve got nothing.”

Pedroza said another challenge is that the parents of students at Manual Arts are themselves lacking in education and therefore their knowledge base limits administrators.

Originally from the San Diego area,Pedroza has 10 brothers and six sisters,which he considers a small learning community in itself.

Pedroza is single, in his 40s and is a musician. He has toured with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, who is a staunch supporter of Santa Monica and Malibu schools, and has held several benefit concerts to promote the arts within the district.

Pedroza received his bachelor’s degree, two masters degrees and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1979 to 1994\. He said he will begin working at the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) within two weeks.

“This is a big job for me, an important job for me,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”

A recommendation to appoint Dr. Pedroza will be brought to the Board of Education on Aug. 31\. The district and Pedroza will work collaboratively to negotiate a start date and develop a transition plan for his entry into the leadership position in the SMMUSD.

“Dr. Pedroza will be an outstanding addition to the leadership team at Santa Monica High School,” Talarico said.“I believe he will be instrumental in continuing the work of addressing the global needs of the campus while supporting the success of the redesign. He will challenge our students and staff as we courageously strive to raise achievement for the students we serve.”

Pedroza replaces Ilene Straus, who served as CEO and principal of Samohi before accepting in July the newly-created position of senior director of secondary education in the SMMUSD. Straus will be in charge of driving academic achievement at all middle and high schools. She also will be in charge of evaluating the performance of all secondary school teachers; analyzing data collected from standardized test results; and designing curriculum and how it should be taught to students.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 22, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082206.pdf?ref=smdp.com)