The union representing Sacramento teachers wants the California Department of Education to investigate the district's superintendent.
The Sacramento City Teachers Association sent a letter of request to the department on Wednesday detailing a list of concerns about potential conflicts of interest and misallocations of district resources by Superintendent Jorge Aguilar.
Union President David Fisher said one area of concern is Aguilar’s second job with UC Merced. He said a contract signed with that university raises red flags.
"The district will pay UC Merced approximately $1.75 million, and we also know that that agreement had a signature of someone that's unauthorized to sign agreements, so we just think that they should join us in getting to the bottom of that and other things that we're concerned about," he said.
Fisher said there are contracts with other higher education organizations, but this is the only one that has a cash pay-out.
The district declined an interview but said in a statement it will “not allow meritless attacks” against the superintendent to distract from its goal of educating students.
“Superintendent Aguilar’s appropriate and long-standing affiliation with the University of California should be lauded, not criticized,” the statement reads.
The district and the teachers union are currently at odds over teacher pay.
In addition, the district needs to cut $35 million from its budget by June in order to avoid getting taken over by the state.
Read the SCTA's request here:
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