Written by Karrie Kirschenmann
The current president of the University of California system, Janet Napolitano, has announced that she will step down from her position in August of 2020. She is also the former Governor of Arizona and Secretary of Homeland Security.
During her tenure, the University of California system increased enrollment in first-generation and transfer students. Throughout her career, she has advocated for liberal policies such as the Universities’ effort to address climate change and the fight for undocumented students.
Napolitano has conflicted with the Trump administration over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to protect undocumented students. This is a prime example of the corrupt bureaucrats in public education disregarding tax-paying Californians to benefit illegal aliens.
This is all part of the Democrats’ public education agenda, and the UC system is no exception. These undocumented students will mostly become loyal Democratic voters in the future, which aligns perfectly with corrupt, power-hungry schemes of Democrats.
Perhaps the reason she has decided to step down from her position is because of her office’s alleged corruption. In 2017, her tenure was changed due to a state audit which found that her office had allegedly kept $175,000 and paid excessive amounts to executive staff in the form of perks and increased salaries.
She claims that her “years with the University of California have shown [her] the monumental value of public education.” This sentence seems to fly in the face of the claims alleged against her office of illegal use of public funds. The $175,000 could have gone a long way to pay for a stronger curriculum, higher-qualified faculty, and an all-around better education experience for the students.
After Janet Napolitano resigns from her position, a power vacuum will be left at the top of the UC system. Conservative Californians are hoping for a UC president who has the citizens’ best interests at heart, rather than those of undocumented students. Hopefully, the corruption of California’s public officials will someday come to an end, allowing the focus of California’s public school system to return to the students.
