VALLAS FACTS: Was Paul Vallas ever really a teacher? NO. 'It all depends on what your definition of 'Is' was then, sort of... Did Paul Vallas 'teach' and how much does it matter (except to show that he's a liar)...
[Editor's Note: Back in 2002, when Paul G. Vallas was still warm following his dumping by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (June 2001) from the position of "Chief Executive Officer" of Chicago's public schools, Substance did a major investigation into what we called "The Vallas Hoax" and published it both in print and on line. Sadly for Philadelphia, New Orleans, Haiti, Chile -- and now Bridgeport Connecticut and Illinois (outside Chicago) -- the people with power didn't both to check whether Paul Vallas was telling the truth -- or don't care. Recently, we received more requests for information about Vallas, following the decision of a Connecticut court that he did not have the administrative credentials to be superintendent of the public schools of Bridgeport. In the course of that litigation, Vallas apparently said that he had been "a teacher" and so we've received some requests from people in Connecticut asking about that, too. The short answer is: NO. Paul Vallas never taught. The more nuanced answer is: "It all depends on what you mean by 'teacher'". Paul Vallas, like many of the leaders of corporate "school reform," may not be very good at teaching, and may not be able to actually run a school, and may be a five-time failure as a school administrator -- but Paul Vallas is very very good at frustrating people trying to pin him down with facts. And so, we are reprinting our March 2002 story about Vallas's claims about his "teaching" here now, in July 2013. George N. Schmidt, Editor].
SHARON SCHMIDT'S INVESTIGATION INTO THE VARIOUS CLAIMS BY PAUL VALLAS THAT HE HAD BEEN A 'TEACHER'
Lies in Vallas vitae. By Sharon Schmidt (first published on line at substancenews.com in March 2002 and in print in the February 2002 Substance).
Why is Paul Vallas still lying about his teaching experience? On his campaign web site and in materials distributed to the press, Vallas claims he was an “Elementary School Teacher, 1976 – 1980. ”
A Substance investigation has revealed that Vallas did not teach elementary school for four years. The item on his “Biographical Summary” is flagrant resume padding. Neither Vallas nor his spokesperson, Matt Ryan, returned Substance’s phone calls that asked for Vallas’s current story regarding his “teaching experience” and a comment for this article.
Vallas has altered his version of what he was doing from 1976 to 1980 at least four different times. He has made the statements while under oath and to the press over the past six months regarding his alleged experience. At no time could he account for four years of “elementary school teaching.”
Despite his changing story, Vallas has kept the item alleging the experience on his gubernatorial campaign vitae, which was cited as fact in a Chicago Tribune editorial on March 3 [2002].
“Teaching experience” ignored under oath
On September 20 [2001], in a deposition taken by Substance’s lawyers (as part of the pending case “Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees v. Substance and Schmidt”), Vallas answered questions about his work and education history. In that sworn testimony, Vallas did not claim any teaching experience as part of his background.
“From my college years, from about ’76 to ’79, I worked in my father’s business … a restaurant business,” Vallas said.
Two weeks later, when questioned by this reporter about those years, Vallas claimed that he had taught elementary school for approximately two years. At a press conference on October 3 [2001] at the Allegro Hotel in Chicago, Vallas said that he taught at “a public school” in Hardin, Montana “for about a year,” and at Koreous, a Greek Orthodox elementary school in Palos Heights, Illinois “for about a year.”
However, Vallas changed his story after Substance reported his statements and an initial investigation.
The November [2001] Substance reported that Vallas was not employed in Hardin nor at any other district in Montana, according to the Hardin district employee records and the Montana Teachers Retirement System records.
Since Substance’s report appeared, Vallas modified his story. He now claims that he was a student teacher in Montana. Student teachers are not paid employees and are not in states’ pension plans.
Story changes after investigation published
On January 18 [2002], Substance reporter Lotty Blumenthal questioned Vallas about his teaching background, after he spoke at the Educators in Polonia meeting at the White Eagle restaurant.
“First of all, I started my teaching in Hardin, Montana,” Vallas said. “Oh, you’re not going to ask me the years, I don’t remember, you know. I went up there and did my student teaching and I stayed for the rest of the year.”
Vallas also told Substance that he had taught at Koreous, but he did not give any specifics of when he taught, what grade he taught or the length of his employment.
Apparently, Vallas also told the Sun-Times that he was a student teacher in Montana. It reported on February 18 [2002] that, in order to overcome a stuttering problem, Vallas “packed his bags for Montana and spent 10 weeks student-teaching on an Indian reservation.”
The Sun-Times did not report on Vallas’ additional alleged four years of elementary school teaching.
An outrageous lie
Whether any of Vallas’s statements over the past six months regarding his work experience are true — "two years" of teaching, one year plus "student teaching", just student teaching, or no teaching at all — the item “Elementary School Teacher 1976 –1980” on his biographical summary remains an outrageous lie.
According to Father Byron Papanikolau of Koreous, Vallas taught at the school during the 1977-78 school year. Papanikolau also said that Vallas had been a student at the school.
In his attempt to explain his claim of “Elementary School Teacher 1976 –1980” Vallas had told Substance that in addition to his year at Koreous and his experience in Hardin, he had taught on the college level.
“I taught at a number of community colleges and I also taught at Western Illinois University,” Vallas said at the October 3 press conference. “I had a teaching internship.” On January 18, Vallas said that he taught at “Spoon River”, and “Lincolnland” community colleges.
However, allegedly teaching a few college courses is very different from being employed for another three years as a full time elementary school, as his biographical summary states.
Other inconsistencies
At the October 3 press conference, Substance asked Vallas if he was certified to teach. “I sure am,” he said. “Well, am I certified now? I was certified then. But, yes, I had a teacher certification. Incidentally, you did not have to take an exam for teacher certification in those days.”
According to both the Illinois State Board of Education and the Montana State Board of Education, an exam was required for teacher certification in 1976. Other parts of the Vallas academic record also deserve more scrutiny now that the man is asking Illinois voters to select him partly on the basis of his claims of “independence” and honesty.
One news report had Vallas authoring a paper more than 700 pages long for part of his Master’s program that he allegedly completed.
