Pasadena California School Superintendent came up with the idea to create an arts high school as a way to lure back families who had abandoned the public schools for private schools. About 850 students signed up and the school became “one of the most closely watched new school projects in Southern California.” So how’s the first year going? Not good. “Since opening in September, McKinley – which uses the site and the name of a long-shuttered campus near the Pasadena Playhouse – has been dogged by poor planning and a variety of start-up problems, according to parents, teachers and students.”