Carter Paysinger is a longtime educator, football coach, and administrator who became the first African American principal of Beverly Hills High School in 2010, capping a career of more than three decades at the campus he first attended as a student on a multicultural permit from South Central Los Angeles. His tenure as principal ended in 2015 after a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District that settled for $685,000. He is now the head football coach at Santa Monica High School.
From South Central to Beverly Hills High
Paysinger grew up in South Central Los Angeles. His mother secured him a multicultural permit, a program that allowed a limited number of minority students from less privileged areas to attend schools outside their home district, and he enrolled at Beverly Hills High School.1Simon & Schuster. Where a Man Stands He later described himself as a “fish out of water” in three ways at once: a Black student at a nearly all-white school, a Christian in a predominantly Jewish community, and a kid from a working-class neighborhood entering one of the wealthiest zip codes in the world.2PR Newswire. Where a Man Stands Tells the Inspiring and Provocative True Story of the First Black Principal of Beverly Hills High School
He thrived there and came back. After earning his undergraduate and master’s degrees, Paysinger returned to Beverly Hills High and began a career at the school that would run more than thirty years.3Simon & Schuster Australia. Carter Paysinger
Three Decades as Coach and Educator
Paysinger was named head football coach at Beverly Hills High on June 19, 1990, the first alumnus to hold the job. His brothers Vonzie and Donald joined him as assistants.4Los Angeles Times. Beverly Hills High Names Paysinger Football Coach He took over a team coming off a 3-7 season and ran the program for nineteen years, closing out the 2008 season at 8-4.5Sieroty Features. Donald Paysinger Takes Over as Head Coach of Beverly Hills
When he stepped down from the sideline in 2009 to become assistant principal, his younger brother Donald took over as head coach. Carter continued to help with game planning and play-calling.6Los Angeles Times. Football: Paysinger In, Paysinger Out at Beverly Hills
The Paysinger name ran deep at Beverly Hills athletics. Carter and his brothers attended the school on permits in the 1970s and 1980s and returned to coach and teach. Donald’s son Spencer followed the same path, captained the football team, played at the University of Oregon, and spent seven seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2018. Spencer’s story became the basis for the CW series All American.7Refinery29. All American True Story: Spencer Paysinger8Screen Rant. All American Show True Story and Changes
First Black Principal of Beverly Hills High
Paysinger became principal in 2010, the first African American in the role in the school’s eighty-year history.9ABC News. African American Man Defied Odds at Beverly Hills High The push came from Steven Fenton, a former student he had coached and mentored, who had joined the school board and persuaded colleagues to pick him.10Atlanta Black Star. Carter Paysinger First Black Principal of Beverly Hills High School
Paysinger said he had doubts going in. “In my heart I was thinking, you know, ‘I’m not sure if the city of Beverly Hills would really embrace an African American principal,'” he told ABC News.9ABC News. African American Man Defied Odds at Beverly Hills High In his first year, the school earned its highest Academic Performance Index ranking on record.3Simon & Schuster Australia. Carter Paysinger
The Sports Academy Investigation and Discrimination Lawsuit
Things began to unravel in 2013. Questions were raised about the Beverly Hills Sports Academy, a for-profit summer camp Paysinger ran on the high school campus with two other school employees. A law firm hired by the district found that he had failed to report more than $40,000 in earnings from the camp and likely violated district conflict-of-interest and ethics rules.11Los Angeles Times. Beverly Hills District Settles Federal Discrimination Suit by Former Principal The district referred the matter to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, which opened a criminal investigation and ultimately cleared Paysinger and the camp of any criminal wrongdoing.
Paysinger viewed the investigations as retaliation. In July 2014 he filed a 32-page federal lawsuit against the Beverly Hills Unified School District and board member Lewis Hall, alleging a “malicious campaign of discrimination and retaliation.”12Courthouse News Service. Anti-SLAPP Motion Fails in Beverly Hills11Los Angeles Times. Beverly Hills District Settles Federal Discrimination Suit by Former Principal
In December 2014, U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez denied an anti-SLAPP motion filed by Hall to dismiss the retaliation claim, finding that Paysinger had offered enough evidence, including emails, letters, and the timing of the investigation, to let the case proceed.12Courthouse News Service. Anti-SLAPP Motion Fails in Beverly Hills
Settlement and Retirement
On January 27, 2015, Paysinger announced he would retire as principal at the end of the school year, citing what he called “appalling” working conditions. The school board had already begun searching for his replacement.13Los Angeles Times. Beverly Hills High School Principal to Retire In June 2015, the district agreed to pay $685,000 to settle the federal lawsuit. It did not admit the allegations, and board member Lewis Hall had previously called the claims “false.”11Los Angeles Times. Beverly Hills District Settles Federal Discrimination Suit by Former Principal Paysinger called the settlement “a huge victory for everyone who has ever suffered in the workplace.”
After Beverly Hills: Board Run, Book, and Santa Monica
Paysinger filed to run for a seat on the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education in July 2015, saying the district’s problems were at the board level and could not be solved by a high school principal.14MyNewsLA. Former Beverly Hills High School Principal Files for School Board Seat15Beverly Highlights. Principal Carter Paysinger to Retire, Run for Board He fell short, finishing just behind incumbent Noah Margo for the final open seat.16Patch. Beverly Hills School Board Race Extremely Tight
With Steven Fenton, he co-wrote Where a Man Stands: Two Different Worlds, an Impossible Situation, and the Unexpected Friendship That Changed Everything, published by Howard Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, in November 2014.1Simon & Schuster. Where a Man Stands The memoir traces their partnership and their work together to turn around Beverly Hills High. Producer and pastor T.D. Jakes optioned the film rights in 2014, calling it an “uplifting tale that demonstrates what is possible when we take a stand for what we believe in.”17The Hollywood Reporter. T.D. Jakes Scoops Up Film Rights No film based on the book has been reported as produced or released.
Paysinger took over the football program at Santa Monica High School in 2022. He told the Los Angeles Times he was “not having to work as a teacher or administrator” at the school and was “just having fun.”18Los Angeles Times. Santa Monica West Torrance Southern Section Football He remains the head coach there for the 2025-26 season.19Santa Monica Daily Press. Samohi Football Looks to Bounce Back