A Connecticut state judge ruled late last month that Paul Vallas, the superintendent of the Bridgeport school district, must step down because he did not complete a state-mandated leadership program, the Connecticut Post reports. The school board of the 21,000-student district has said it will appeal the decision.
State law requires superintendents to have a certification that Mr. Vallas, who was appointed by state education Commissioner Stefan Pryor, had not obtained.
An independent-study program, at the University of Connecticut, was created for Mr. Vallas to meet the requirements. He has previously headed up the Recovery School District in Louisiana and the Chicago and Philadelphia districts. The Post reports that the course was described to the judge as requiring between a week and 10 days of work. Mr. Vallas got an A. The judge ruled that the course was not sufficient to meet the state requirement. Other superintendents in the state were required to take a 13-month course.
