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Top leaders of California state teacher credentialing group step down
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After a blistering audit of their agency, two top leaders of the California commission that revokes teachers’ credentials said Thursday they’re stepping down.
The state audit two months ago found thousands of backlogged investigations and poor record-keeping at the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The audit also found that the commission was slow to investigate a teacher accused of kissing a student, in one case, and a teacher who allegedly showed pornography to students in another.
The commission’s executive director and top lawyer are resigning. Bell Gardens Assemblyman Ricardo Lara had asked for the commission’s leaders to step down.
"I’m very happy to say that this change is positive step forward," says Lara. "And I’m going to continue to track and monitor our commissions, especially this commission, because I want to ensure that we continue to protect our students and our teachers."
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Lara says two recent appointments by Governor Jerry Brown will help clean up the commission. The governor’s chosen a Santa Barbara investment banker and a lawyer with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund to serve on the teacher credentialing commission.
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