Trustees of the San Diego Unified School District voted unanimously Tuesday to rename Henry Clay Elementary School in Rolando after Dr. Bertha O. Pendleton, the district’s first Black superintendent.
The change is a response to changing attitudes toward Clay, a pre-Civil War lawmaker from Kentucky who opposed slavery but nevertheless owned slaves.
The school will display temporary signage with the new name until a renovation is completed in 2026.
Pendleton started a 40-year career in San Diego Unified as a teacher at Memorial Junior High in 1957 before becoming superintendent in 1993 and serving until 1998.
“Dr. Bertha Pendleton represents the things that we want to see in our children and in our schools,” said Trustee Sharon Whitehurst Payne during the meeting.
Students, parents and teachers of the school had requested that the district explore the idea.
City News Service contributed to this article.