COMPTON : School Board Appointment of Felon Put Into Limbo

A controversial Compton School Board decision to appoint an applicant with a criminal record to fill a vacant school board seat has been thrown into limbo.

State education officials said Friday that they are investigating whether the school board had the authority to fill the vacant seat, and whether an applicant who has been convicted on felony charges is eligible.

The school board, voting last week by secret ballot, appointed Saul E. Lankster, a Compton flower shop owner who was convicted in 1985 of selling false traffic school diplomas to undercover state investigators and was sentenced to 120 days in jail.

The board drew heated criticism at its meeting Tuesday for selecting Lankster, an African American, over a Latino candidate who had been rated the top applicant by a screening committee that selected four finalists from a field of 13 applicants. Martin Chavez, a Port of Los Angeles human resources officer, had received the committee’s top rating. Lankster was rated second.

The board decided to vote again Friday after J. Jerome Harris, the administrator appointed by the state to run the troubled district, said the secret ballot violated public meeting laws.

But the meeting was called off after William Dawson, acting state superintendent of public instruction, informed the district in a letter that he would make the final decision about the secret ballots.