California district ousts entire board in recall election

From The New York Times: With a majority of more than 70 percent, voters in the Big Oak Flat-Groveland (Calif.) Unified School District have ousted all five board members. The community gathered petitions for a recall vote after the board removed a popular math teacher at Tioga High School. The school board placed the teacher, Ryan Dutton, 31, on unpaid leave and said they would not renew his contract because of accusations that he had plagiarized an assignment in a teaching credential program at California State University, Fresno. A spokeswoman for the university says that Dutton’s academic records are private, but that university administrators have concluded that his dismissal from the teaching program “was not warranted.” Dutton says he did not commit plagiarism, but the board has refused to reinstate him despite a letter of vindication from the university.