SMBSD Board Member Teaching Credentials Revoked

Santa Maria Bonita School District board member Will Smith is being stripped of his teaching credentials. This comes after the state determined Smith engaged in unprofessional conduct while employed as a teacher with the district. But Smith is not laying down.

“It’s not true. It’s not true by a long shot,” says Will Smith.

Smith is adamant that the many accusations made against him in a 23-page document are false. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing revoked Smith’s credentials based on testimony given by former colleagues and a student. Accusations of immoral and unprofessional conduct on Smith’s part fill the pages of the report, but Smith insists there’s more to the story.

“This is unprofessional, ignorance, and the thing about it is there is documentation to support that what they are saying is not necessarily true,” says Smith.

The documentation that Smith points to are his teacher evaluations while working at El Camino and Arrelanes Junior High schools. The reviews that Smith showed us give him excellent grades and high praise for his work.

According to Smith, witnesses who testified in his favor were not included in the document. I spoke with Smith’s former supervisor who testified on Smith’s behalf. He said the accusations of immoral and unprofessional conduct were completely untrue.

Superintendent Phil Alvarado chimed in.

“To say that the witnesses that were subpoenaed by the Attorney Generals Office lacked credibility, I find extremely questionable,” says Alvarado.

Alvarado expressed a sense of relief that closure was being brought on the matter, but Smith doesn’t intend to go quietly. He has already started the appeal process.