It is more than mildly ironic that in an age when Supreme Court decisions are instantly subject to the scrutiny of the masses, the decisions themselves are distributed ”” at least initially ”” as printouts rather than being uploaded to the web.
That antiquated practice was, in part, blamed for the failure by CNN and more than a few other news organizations to accurately report the court”™s 2012 decision to uphold most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Early on in his decision, Chief Justice John C. Roberts wrote, “We do not consider whether the Act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation”™s elected leaders. We ask only whether Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the challenged provisions.”
Likewise, policymaking here in Connecticut is entrusted to the state”™s elected leaders. It is in that light that we find the decision by Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis to strip Paul Vallas of his role as superintendant of the Bridgeport Public Schools baffling.
Vallas, the often-polarizing education crusader, arrived in Connecticut”™s largest public school system in early 2012.
His reputation as a public schools turnaround expert began with his appointment as the first CEO of Chicago”™s public school system in 1995. Just two years later, in October 1997, President Bill Clinton proclaimed while visiting a Chicago elementary school, “I want what is happening in Chicago to happen all over America.”
In June of 2001, after Vallas announced his decision to resign and run for governor of Illinois, the Chicago Tribune editorial board wrote of the man”™s tenure: “Vallas made decisions rather than call for more research. He figured out clever ways to use money and leverage more of it, rather than make excuses for never having enough. He helped teachers raise achievement standards and saw test scores rise.
“He gained the confidence of neighborhood groups and even teachers by showing up everywhere, answering every question and being the last to leave. ”¦ Vallas, lest the mayor forget, helped establish (Richard) Daley”™s worldwide reputation as the man who turned around a system that a decade ago appeared beyond reform.”
Vallas went on to lead Philadelphia”™s schools, and in 2007 took the helm of the Recovery School District of Louisiana (the successor to New Orleans”™ public school system). He served there until April 2011, and upon his departure, an article in The Times-Picayune stated: “All but the most committed nostalgists agree that, despite the growing pains, the schools have risen above their abysmal pre-Katrina state. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other national figures have praised New Orleans as a model for school reform.”
In our estimation there is no more qualified individual to lead Bridgeport”™s public schools, and the city is lucky to have him. But under an antiquated Connecticut law, school superintendants are required to have an education degree, and Vallas does not.
The state legislature and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sought to quell the discontent over Vallas”™ pedigree, inserting language in a 2012 education bill that allowed Vallas to be certified as a superintendent so long as he completed an abbreviated education leadership program, which he did.
Still, that was not good enough for some residents, who sued the state Board of Education, claiming that the course Vallas completed did not fulfill the letter of the law. Judge Bellis ruled June 28 in favor of the plaintiffs, ordering Vallas to vacate his position.
Vallas was allowed to remain as superintendent while the Connecticut Supreme Court decided whether to take up the appeal; it said July 16 that it would hear an appeal, and had yet to determine as of July 23 whether Vallas could remain on as superintendent during the appeals process.
Duncan, the U.S. education secretary and Vallas”™ successor in Chicago, called the opposition to his compatriot “beyond ludicrous” in an interview with The New York Times, adding, “This, to me, is just another painfully obvious, crystal-clear example of people caught in an old paradigm.”
Jennifer Alexander, CEO of the nonprofit Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, said in a statement, “Our educational leaders should be judged by job performance and merit and, by that standard, Vallas is more than qualified to lead Bridgeport”™s school district. During his tenure as superintendent, Paul Vallas has made exceptional strides toward guaranteeing access to a high-quality education for every Bridgeport student, regardless of wealth, race or Zip code.”
And the bottom line is, as America”™s top jurist wrote in that fateful 2012 decision, it is not for the courts to decide policy: that is left to the people and their chosen representatives.
For the sake of the people of Bridgeport, their children and those trying to draw more families and young people to the state”™s largest city, we can only hope the Connecticut Supreme Court rights the wrongs that were doled out in the form of Bellis”™ ill-fated ruling.
