San Gabriel, CALIFORNIA

If you are found guilty of having sex with a student, it will be two years before your license is revoked in California. If you steal from the teachers' union, however, it means credential revocation even before the guilty plea. Go figure.

Feb 20, 2008 - The president and treasurer of the San Gabriel Teachers Association and the secretary both pleaded no contest to embezzlement charges.

Jefferson Middle School special education teachers Ava Shaw, 52, was president and treasurer of the San Gabriel Teachers Association. She is charged with embezzling as much as $83,000 between June 2001 and September 2004 and faces prison time. She made an agreement with the judge that she would not be sentenced until after a March 25 restitution hearing.

Her teaching credential has been revoked and she was terminated by the district.

Jennifer Kathryn Boyd-Oliver, 36, secretary of the teachers' union, pleaded no contest to grand theft, which is a felony, reduced to a felony because she paid back the $1,925 she stole. She was sentenced to three years' probation and 45 days of work on a road cleaning crew.

Because it was only a misdemeanor, her teaching credential was suspended. She had spent six years as a teacher at Jefferson and one year at Wilson Elementary School.

GUILTY PLEAS May 28, 2008 - After pleading guilty, Shaw was ordered to pay more than $64,000 in restitution to the union. She faces possible prison time. [TT -What usually happens in such cases is that the defendant will face prison time if, and only if, they don't repay the money.]

Boyd-Oliver accepted a plea bargain from the District Attorney's Office that required her to plead no contest to grand theft, a felony. The court agreed to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor since Boyd paid back the $1,925 she was accused of pocketing.
Boyd was placed on three years' probation and required to perform 45 days of work with Caltrans. [TT - that means picking up trash along the freeways. Honk if you recognize her.]

Because of the reduced charge, Boyd retains the option of teaching.