Crandall Resigned As Colorado ED Head “In Lieu Of Termination”

At the time he left last month, few were aware that Colorado Education Commissioner and former Arizona State Senator Rich Crandall had violated Colorado law. Crandall claimed that he was leaving due to his affinity for Arizona and to be near family.

According to Chalkbeat, “Crandall resigned in mid-May. His departure came after a string of resignations by top department officials and criticism that he didn’t give clear direction to staff. Crandall agreed to resign “in lieu of termination” and cite personal reasons, according to a settlement agreement.”

In that same article, it is revealed that the inexperienced Crandall and “seven members of the Colorado State Board of Education met for a private dinner with the man who was their unanimous pick for education commissioner,” in violation of the State’s open meeting laws.

Just like Arizona’s open meeting laws, with which Crandall should be familiar, “Colorado’s open meeting law requires that when two or more state elected officials meet to discuss matters related to their policy making function, the public must be notified at least 24 hours in advance. Minutes are also to be kept, according to Chalkbeat.

Not only did the group fail to notify the public, no minutes were kept despite the fact that Crandall had mailed an agenda of sorts to attendees prior to the dinner.

Crandall is back at work at his school nutrition company that he maintained while serving in the public sector.