The Kern Group Faculty District pays former Bakersfield Faculty professor Matthew Garrett $2.4 million underneath a current settlement settlement.
Garrett, beforehand a tenured historical past professor, sued district directors in 2021, alleging they retaliated towards him for accusing colleagues of utilizing grant cash for partisan social justice work.
The district Board of Trustees voted to fireplace him final yr after interim president Zav Dadabhoy submitted a 19-page report of prices towards Garrett, together with unprofessional conduct. Garrett, a founding father of the conservative-leaning college group Renegade Institute for Liberty, pushed again, saying he was being penalized for espousing his views, together with questioning range, fairness and inclusion work on campus.
Within the settlement, Garrett agreed to resign from the faculty, however he’ll obtain a further $154,520 for again wages and medical advantages since his dismissal. The district will even withdraw and seal all of its 2023 prices towards Garrett, in addition to any earlier paperwork that indicate misconduct. The settlement says the settlement isn’t “an admission of any wrongdoing or legal responsibility by both the District or Garrett.”
The Kern Group Faculty District confirmed it “settled all points with Matthew Garrett” in an announcement to Inside Larger Ed.
“To be clear, the dispute with Matthew Garrett was a disciplinary matter as a consequence of his disruptive actions on campus, none of which involved freedom of speech. Kern Group Faculty District unequivocally helps the correct for our college students and college to share their views and opinions on campus and elsewhere,” a spokesperson mentioned.
“As it is a confidential personnel matter, we won’t remark additional.”
Garrett advised The Faculty Repair that the district had no selection however to settle.
“Going through an imminent ruling in my favor and the prospect of paying tens of millions of {dollars} in damages, KCCD had just one viable choice: settlement,” Garrett mentioned in an electronic mail. “To my colleagues at Bakersfield Faculty and nationwide, I say: Hold the religion; we’re profitable the battle, one case at a time.”
