The Educated Guess � Seven years later, teacher ordered to be fired

The Educated Guess � Seven years later, teacher ordered to be fired

In a notable break from the past, the president of the nation’s second largest teachers union has committed to changing laws that drag out procedures for firing teachers charged with incompetence or misconduct.


On Tuesday, the same day that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten made that promise in a Washington, D.C., speech, a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles ordered the immediate firing of an LA Unified teacher whose case offers the most egregious example of  what needs fixing. 


In 2002, the district started moving to fire special education teacher Matthew Kim, whom it charged with making inappropriate comments and advances to students. For seven years, the district has paid Kim’s $68,000 pay while he’s been suspended, and spent $2 million in legal fees to oust him as the case crawled through the Commission on Professional Competence.