A second out-of-state California Department of Education official resigned after Politico uncovered that high-ranking education aides were raking in taxpayer dollars while living across the country.
Pamela Kadakia was the Equity Project Manager for the California Department of Education, according to her LinkedIn profile. Kadakia resigned around Dec. 23, according to a report from Politico. The California Education Department confirmed Kadakia’s resignation in a statement to Politico.
“We sought to ensure that all our personnel were in line with the new guidance,” a department spokesperson said. “In doing so, we accepted Ms. Kadakia’s resignation.”
The department updated its guidance after it was publicized that the state’s Superintendent of Equity, Daniel Lee, lived and operated a business in Pennsylvania while raking in a taxpayer-funded annual salary between $161,400 and $179,832. Lee resigned shortly after the report.
Maria Clayton, the education department’s spokesperson, said that the department is “exploring new practices and policies” around telework, though there were “no finalized policies” as of Dec. 13. (RELATED: California’s Equity Superintendent Resigns After Report Uncovered He Lives Across The Country)
Kadakia pursued a doctorate in education between 2019 and 2021 from Texas A&M University and taught for over four years at Richland College in Dallas, according to her LinkedIn profile. Kadakia had roots in California, according to public records obtained by Politico. She grew up in east Los Angeles and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Fullerton.
Kadakia was working on a project for the education department aimed at providing support to those enduring social isolation due to California’s perpetual COVID shutdowns, according to the California Department of Education’s website.
Screenshot/California Department of Education website
Per California law, it would not be possible for the Department of Education to fund her travel from California to Texas. In June, California banned state-funded travel to several red states — including Texas — which the state’s Attorney General believes has anti-LGBTQ+ laws that are “directly targeting transgender youth.”
Kadakia could not be reached for comment.