State Administrator Fires Otis Despite Board Vote

The state-appointed administrator of Compton’s school district fired Dominguez High basketball Coach Russell Otis on Tuesday night despite near-unanimous opposition to the move from the elected school board.

The administrator, Randolph E. Ward, made the move because of Otis’ lack of a permanent teaching credential, according to two people who attended the board’s closed-session meeting.

But inside the meeting the board voted 6-0, with chairwoman Cloria Patillo abstaining, to keep the coach through the end of his March 28 trial on charges of sexually abusing one of his players.

A unanimous vote is highly unusual for the often bitterly divided board.

The vote, however, was merely advisory because Ward retains complete control over personnel issues as a result of a 1993 state takeover of the school district.

Board members argued that the district would be better off with Otis on unpaid leave. Firing him now could open up Compton to a lawsuit if he is acquitted at trial.

“What happened tonight is illegal,” said Basil Kimbrew, a school board member.

Leonard Levine, an attorney for Otis, and Michael Feinberg, a private attorney who represents the local teachers’ union, addressed the board and Ward before the decision.

Both criticized the firing, with Levine putting the blame on state education officials in Sacramento.

“This is obviously a decision by Sacramento that was made without taking into account the will of the community,” Levine said.