Local Connecticut blogger, Jon Pelto has been all over the the deficits of Bridgeport 'superstar' school superintendent Paul Vallas, so he sure deserves to be the first to post this
Despite the best efforts of Governor Malloy, Commissioner Pryor, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, Bridgeport Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Moales and Paul Vallas himself, the issue they simply couldn’t overcome was the fact that under Connecticut law (even after it was changed to try and accommodate Vallas), Vallas was unwilling or unable to do the things necessary to meet Connecticut law.
Perhaps the most telling moment came when Paul Vallas whined that asking him to be certified to serve as superintendent of schools was like asking Michael Jordan to become certified to coach basketball. What Vallas refused to understand was that if Michael Jordan wanted to coach basketball at a Connecticut public school he would have needed to become certified for the job.
Yes, the man really did say that.
For some background, the Bridgeport Board of Education rubber stamped and extended Vallas's job for three years, which prompted retired judge and educational advocateCarmen Lopez to file a lawsuit. Not only didn't he hold the appropriate certification, Vallas didn't even have the necessary 15 credits to enter UConn's program.
The Connecticut Mirror has some more on this:
In April, the state board approved an independent study created for Vallas by the University of Connecticut as a valid program. But the judge said Friday that the short, independent study he completed in May at UConn was merely a simulation.
"There is no doubt that Vallas received preferential treatment," the judge wrote in her 27-page decision.
Vallas is in his 17th month of leading the 21,000-student school system.
The judge also noted that Vallas lacked the required prerequisites to enroll in the regular UConn program in the first place, and that such an independent study hadn't been approved for anyone else in the last decade. Additionally, the university's governing board had never approved an independent study program.
"Ultimately, the course standards were reduced," the judge wrote. "The court accepts Vallas' testimony that the work, although done over the course of 10 weeks while fulfilling his employment as acting superintendent, could have been completed in a week.
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