California’s Superintendent of Equity — who has a close, personal relationship with the State Superintendent of public instruction — allegedly lives and operates a business in Pennsylvania, according to a report from Politico.
Daniel Lee is the founder and president of N-PsyT, a psychological services business located in Pennsylvania. Lee “currently resides in Philadelphia,” according to N-PsyT’s website. Lee is also employed as California’s superintendent of equity, wherein he advises the state’s Department of Education as one of the highest-paid officials in the state, according to Politico.
According to a spokesperson for the California Department of Education, Lee’s salary range is between $161,400 and $179,832.
Lee also sits as the president of the New Jersey Psychological Association’s executive board for 2021. He began his role with the California Department of Education in July of 2020, according to Politico.
Lee’s 18-page resume, obtained by Politico, shows he had neither previous experience in California nor any relationships with school districts there, the outlet reported. However, Lee has a personal relationship with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Lee was allegedly in Thurmond’s wedding party, per Politico.
🚨 Breaking from @MackenzieMays @politico, about Daniel Lee, California’s 1st supt of equity. “He was hired to fix California schools — while running a business in Philadelphia.” There is so much double-dipping by school officials with a side hustle. https://t.co/y8rXGxjpbI pic.twitter.com/wFkeqiTVL6
— Asra Q. Nomani 🐻Mama Bear🧸 (@AsraNomani) December 13, 2021
Thurmond — a former Democratic state lawmaker — defended hiring his buddy in a statement to Politico and said that the pandemic allowed him to hire out-of-state employees. Thurmond said Lee was “somebody that I wanted to hire for a long time but he lived out of state. The pandemic opened the door for me to hire someone who is top of his class.”
Thurmond joined the California Department of Education in 2018 and, per a separate Politico report, allegedly struggled to “retain high-level staff” after being accused of creating a “toxic workplace.” (RELATED: State Education Department Insists Educators Should Make Their ‘Ally Status Known’ To Students)
Mary Nicely, the chief deputy of the state’s education department, told Politico that Lee was not given “preferential treatment” during the job application process, though the job was not publicly posted.
“[Thurmond] knew [Lee] had done this work and could do what we haven’t been able to do in the state of California,” Nicely told Politico. “We found the person that we have not been able to find, who just happens to be someone who the superintendent has known for years and has worked together with for years.”
Nicely also defended Lee’s ability to work out-of-state citing increased work-from-home flexibility since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maria Clayton, the California Department of Education’s spokesperson, told Politico that the department is “exploring new practices and policies” around telework, though there are “no finalized policies.”
The California Department of Education did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.