Former Democratic California Assemblywoman Delaine Eastin is running for governor, lamenting that the state does not spend enough money on education. Her entry into the 2018 race, unfortunately, came without any report card on how she handled money as state superintendent of public instruction from 1995 to 2003.
Under Eastin, according to one employee, the California Department of Education was a prolific waster of money. More specifically, Eastin’s CDE gave away more than $20 million in federal funds to an interlocking directorate of community-based organizations, primarily for English-language instruction for immigrant children.
Assistant Superintendent Robert Cervantes, a longtime advocate of English as the key to economic advancement, oversaw the program and found that the CBOs lacked the required nonprofit status and had falsified records.