The Connecticut Supreme Court has agreed to hear an “immediate expedited appeal” of a lower court’s ruling that Paul Vallas lacks the proper legal certification to serve as superintendent of schools.
Chief Justice Chase Rogers granted the city’s petition to move the case immediately to Connecticut’s highest court. The Supremes will be taking up two issues in response to Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis’ rulings. The first centers on his qualifications to serve as chief of schools. There is also the underlying issue of Vallas remaining on the job while the appeal is heard.
Bellis ruled he cannot serve pending appeal. The Supremes will take up the city’s motion to keep him on the job. That decision could take several weeks. So for now Vallas is still in charge.
The Supremes are expected to hear oral arguments about Vallas’ qualifications to serve in September. The court complaint against Vallas was brought by retired Superior Court Judge Carmen Lopez, a Bridgeport resident.
Appellate specialist Steve Ecker is representing the city in this phase of the court case. His background is here.
Statement from Mayor Bill Finch:
“I want to thank the Supreme Court for its decision to hear the appeal in Superintendent Vallas’ case in a timely manner. We are heartened by the support that the Superintendent’s case has received by the state Board of Education, which voted unanimously to ask the Supreme Court to hear the appeal, and the Attorney General’s decision to file a ‘friend of the court’ brief in support of the appeal. It is our hope that this case will be heard and a determination in his favor will be made so that Supt. Vallas can continue the work he is doing to help the school children of our City receive the world-class education they deserve.”
Paul Vallas, Superintendent of Schools in Bridgeport, will be guest tonight on the Bridgeport Now television program at 8pm.
Good program! Caught most of the live call-in interview of Paul Vallas. Is there any way to get a transcript?
In the time I watched, Vallas repeatedly stated, “I’m beholden to no one,” adding once or twice, “but to the children.”
Does Vallas’ contract with the city or state ensure him a legal defense paid for by Bridgeport in all cases? Vallas suggested it did, on the program aired live last night. To the contrary, Judge Carmen Lopez offers her opinion (posted y-day at 4:40 PM) in the CT Post, “City should not pay for Vallas’ defense.”
www .ctpost.com/opinion/article/Carmen-L-Lopez-City-should-not-pay-for-Vallas-4668737.php
Let’s hope the CT State Supreme Court decides soon–before the new school year begins.
Dave, I don’t know if the Supremes will overturn this case on appeal, both sides have strong legal minds at work, but if they do overturn will you then say Vallas followed the law?
Would anyone be discussing this, much less spending precious city resources, if Mr. Vallas had done as he was supposed to and not made the Bridgeport school system, which he’s allegedly managing so well as to make it doomed to fail unless he’s in charge, so vulnerable to a legal challenge that did, and may once and for all, oust him? DeGaulle said it so well, “The cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.”
Speaking of legal challenges … any updates on the Mayor Finch-ordered investigation of the Moutinho driveway boondoggle?
And Peter, speaking of weather challenges and updates that are overdue, any information available on: “Who dropped the snow shoveling last winter? And what did we gain from the experience, never to be repeated again? The error caused schools to stay open later this year than necessary. Why not tell the voters now, pre-primary and pre-election? Time will tell.
If so it wouldn’t be the law he followed, it would be the newer revision/watered-down version of a law written just for him and recreated by his friend and rubber stamped by the state BOE.
So we can write laws, the legislature passes it, Malloy signs it and then when it is not followed, one person can revise it to take care of a friend.
Can this apply to anybody or just friends of Stefan?
So no, he didn’t follow the law, but maybe he will be able to get away with following the special revision of the law … to be more accurate.
Lennie … Vallas and his friends don’t exactly have a record of winning any actions taken before the supreme court on any of these matters. Even to a layman such as myself the law was clearly written and was not followed. No, I wouldn’t say that he followed the law but at that point it wouldn’t matter since I am not on the Supreme Court. I would be very surprised if Vallas prevails. I do see them doing an end run by having Vallas as a consultant and being Super behind the scene. I don’t think the people behind Vallas are going to give up easily.
*** While the blog is on the Supreme Court and Vallas, is it “true” the city of Bpt has been overwhelmed with calls of complaint by citizens who claim patrol cars are always parked at the same places every day for at least half the working day! Be it at a business, driveway at home, local restaurant, city park or car dealership, etc. And sector supervisors simply overlook these violations while on duty? Will GPS be put in P/D vehicles to monitor exactly who, what, when, where and why during duty hours that can sometimes result in a lack of manpower and overall length of response time, etc.? *** SEEMS LIKE INQUIRING POLITICAL MINDS AND THE FEDS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. ***
And a bonus of ten extra points for the “best” answer to Mojo’s question if you are able to connect it to overtime overruns for police during the last 24 months! Hope someone can shed some light on “half the working day.” Do you still call it the working day when you are paid overtime? Time will tell.
If the Supremes overturn this case on appeal wouldn’t it show Vallas did demonstrate his commitment and concern for the students of Bridgeport by taking the prescribed UConn course? One could think it shows this legal action was taken by a vindictive few in a vain attempt to doom the BPT BOE to failure by returning it to the failed leadership policies of the past and ruled on by a judge who was influence by something other than the law. A judge who may need to face censure for failure to follow the law. A new and improved law passed by brave Americans who looked to change the inequities of the past. Much like the brave few who dared to change the inequities that were created by Jim Crow laws. They snuffed out discriminatory practices and opened this positions to people who are capable, willing and able to run an organization of this size and run it well. People who are willing to face slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and take arms against a sea of troubles in order to rescue the future of America’s children. To rescue that future from people who are part of the problem because they refuse to be part of the solution.
Alias “BOE SPY,”
Are you equating the Bridgeport citizens who brought the case to court and Judge Bellis, today in the year 2013, with Jim Crow standard bearers?
Wow very dramatic, but inaccurate and a touch delusional.
Yes.
Only to the extent wealthy communities get school leadership that promotes education while poor communities are so tied by political, racial and socioeconomic divides they get leadership that fails. Poor communities chase leadership that makes popular choices instead of good choices. Much like letting your child eat candy for dinner may be popular, it would not be best. Turning schools into day care centers is popular but not best. These separations in practice lead to conditions for poor Americans that tended to be inferior to those provided for wealthy Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.
I agree in principle with your statements, BOE SPY (what an interesting conceptualization to be a Spy of the BOE). There is no place where we see these systematic deprivations more clearly than in the field of special education, where there is a parallel system in place that, if continued to be left unchecked, will create a permanent underclass. Some of those things can possibly be addressed from someone on the OUTSIDE, not an insider of the system. Someone like Vallas.
Sped has been gutted under Vallas. You must be in a charter where all sped services are provided by the BPS teachers who are doing double duty. A supporter for Vallas would certainly name themselves and their school. They would be protected and paraded around town, so why not pony up?
A detractor of Vallas would certainly be sheltered by WFP. You may even find yourself in a sweet new position if the court goes well for them. You should ‘pony up’ as well. Alas, I do not want to be a hero. Been there, did that. I am OK where I am now but thank you for thinking of my welfare.
I actually wasn’t thinking of your welfare. I was commenting to the “teacher.” Who ever referred to you as a hero? Delusions of grandeur seem to be spreading from Vallas to his minions.
Yeah, it would be the Congress of the United Stated that referred to me as a hero, but so far that is it.
Congratulations!
You’re welcome.
A real eye-opener on the Vallas methods:
VALLAS FACTS: Resume padding and doubletalk about his ‘teaching’ experience and certification began in Illinois a long time ago … By the time he ran for Governor in 2002, Paul Vallas had been getting away with padding his resumé for a long long time.
www .substancenews.net/articles.php?page=4373
BTW … Why UConn? Wny not any other University in the state? Are we pissing away enough money into the distant woods of Storrs as it is without making it a legal requirement?
Boondoggle … hahaha
Research and comments from Pelto blog:
The whole thing is a farce. Looking back at posted minutes from the April 15 2013 CT State Board of Education minutes, I found this:
The SBE passes a motion “to approve” the Ed. Leadership *Program* submitted by Vallas (the 2-page description is not attached–I’d love to see it!). This motion comes 10 days after the State Marshall messed up in serving Stefan Pryor the warrants from the original lawsuit of C. Lopez et al. v. Vallas et al… Did this lawsuit spur the SBE into action in reviewing the Leadership program? And Vallas into writing his first paper, handed in April 10–5 days after the lawsuit was filed!
Anyway, here’s the motion, from page 10 of the “approved” minutes of the 4/15/13 meeting (found archived on the CT SBE website):
B. Approval of School Leadership Program – University of Connecticut Neag School of Education
Mr. Jaskiewicz moved, Mrs. Keavney-Maruca seconded that the State Board of Education, pursuant to subsections (b) and (c) of Section 10-157 of the Connecticut General Statutes, approves the school leadership program offered by the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education, as described in Attachment A, to satisfy the statutory requirement for completion of a probationary period by an acting superintendent, and directs the Commissioner to take the necessary action.
Of course, I am able to construct this chronology from Jonathan’s blogs, especially this one.
jonathanpelto.com/2013/04/25/vallas-pryor-and-the-state-board-of-education-temporarily-dodge-lawsuit-bridgeport-style/
He has been steadily covering Vallas’ lack of compliance with the law created especially for the School Reform Superstar.
For fellow researchers, here’s the CT SDE website:
www .sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2683&q=322228
Last night Superintendent Vallas was a guest on Bridgeport NOW with Rob Foley as host and questioner. The phone lines seemed pretty busy and my sense of the calls was they were running 60-70% in favor of Vallas as ‘hero’ as one caller named him rather than as ‘villain.’
One caller with experience with the Bridgeport Public Schools for about 10 years made the point that urban districts in CT like Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport with large concentrations of poor, single-parent families as well as English as a second language students from all parts of the globe have problems smaller community suburban superintendents do not face. So searches outside the State borders are common and expecting those administrators to be CT certified is unrealistic.
Therefore, alternative accreditation or certification processes were established by the State Board of Education and also set into Statute, I guess.
But what happens when the prospective ‘student’ has 17 years served in much larger school systems with ‘exponentially’ greater problems and issues and meets with the CT ‘educator of Superintendents’ Dr. Villanova and they discover the likelihood the Acting Superintendent has a better grasp on the multitude of practical and political details necessary to turn around a district in a sustainable form and implant and monitor instructional time that in quantity and quality will provide the necessary change? So a high level set of questions dealing with all aspects of a large, poor, failing educational district appears to have been used to elicit lengthy, practical and thoughtful comments indicating the “student” has the “right stuff!” Furthermore, he is asked to address those education students taking the off-the-shelf 13-month or other UConn programs for superintendents by Dr. Villanova. Waste of time? Waste of money? Waste of resources? These are all questions in the current discussion. The Superior Court has provided a decision and directions. The Supreme Court will have its chance to settle this specific question, and then perhaps the Legislature and the Board of Education will need to clean things up so the focus of all this frantic back-and-forth activity can solely get back to the kids? Time will tell.
Vallas was never certified anywhere. He was referred to as CEO in Chicago. He wouldn’t have the credentials anywhere because he is not an educational leader. He is a traveling privatizer. The changes were not made for all supers in CT. They were made for Stefan’s friend.
*** SUPREMES COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT’S BEST FOR THE PARK CITY EVER SINCE DIANA LEFT TOWN, NO? ***