Reconsider SB 1530
(Highland Community News, August 7, 2012)
“California and the nation witnessed the demise of SB 1530 (Padilla) when members of the Assembly Education Committee simply abdicated their responsibility to vote.” Those were the written words of Senator Gloria Romero (Ret.) State Director of Democrats for Education Reform California to California Assembly Speaker Perez.
SB 1530 would modify the process for firing teachers accused on the most “egregious” misconduct, such as those involving sex abuse, drugs or violence toward children, and empower school districts to make decisions on firing teachers who have imperiled our children’s lives.
Now that the Legislature in back in session and dealing with the aftermath of Los Angeles Unified School District’s sex-abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary school, Senator Gloria Romero (Ret.) is calling upon the Assembly Speaker to hold Assembly members on the Education Committee accountable and schedule SB 1530 for a Reconsideration vote. She stated, “Speaker Perez must strongly encourage his members to support SB 1530 (Padilla) before the end of the legislative session.”
Senator Padilla’s bill would ensure that school board members have the power to act swiftly in removing educators who prey on children.
SB 1530 cleared the Senate on May 29, 2012, by a 33-4 bipartisan majority. Unfortunately, the intense lobbying by both the California Teachers Association and United Teachers Los Angeles later resulted in the bill falling one vote shy of approval by the Assembly Education Committee.