'Former Mexia Superintendent Dean Andrews is under investigation and has been accused of obtaining a doctorate degree from a school in California not accredited to award doctorate degrees.

Andrews “obtained” his doctorate degree [Why the quotation marks around obtained? Because the reporter means to say Andrews didn't actually obtain it. Yet the word obtaining occurs in the first paragraph without quotation marks, which is confusing. The writer should drop the quotation marks.] from California Coast University in 1999...

A heated debate concerning Andrews’ credentials ensued at a recent meeting of the Liberty Hill School Board, with some parents upset with the Superintendent.

...[The] Texas Higher Education Coordination Board waded into the fray [Not sure you can wade into a fray, unless the fight's taking place under water.] and issued a statement that “it’s illegal to use such degrees in the State of Texas” in the first place.

According to a recent story released by Nanci Wilson on CBS Channel 42 (a television station in the Liberty Hill area), “the superintendent’s questionable credentials” led to the debate at the school board. The board’s president says trustees are investigating through their law firm. Presumably, this would be the well-known Walsh Anderson firm out of Austin. That law firm does much work throughout school districts in the state, including work for the Mexia Independent School District.

Although the State of Texas calls the degree fraudulent, Andrews was asked about statements that his degree is “fake,” and he replied, “I don’t worry about what people say about Dean Andrews..." He also chastised the reporter by saying, “...and what you say about me...that’s your problem.”

A parent appeared before the last meeting, calling for the school board to “do the right thing,” then adding, “Dean Andrews must be removed from his positon as superintendent of this school district.” The parent continued, “It’s easy to check up that fraud has been committed here.”

The Liberty Hill librarian took the parent to task, backing Andrews and saying the district should thank him for his leadership. However, this drew a retort from the unhappy parent, who agrees that “education is the primary concern,” but reiterated what could be a fraudulent “kind of message being sent; namely, you’re saying don’t work hard, take the easy way, get a fraudulent degree, and get a big salary without doing the work to earn it, and that disgusts me.”

Federal investigators have referred to the California institution as a “diploma mill” in testimony before a congressional committee. However, the CBS 42 report says Andrews calls himself “Doctor,” and he said, “I’m pretty proud of it.” [I call myself Doctor and I'm pretty proud of it. That's what I mean. That's a keeper.]

The report says Andrews, in sworn testimony, spent only three days on the California campus, defending his dissertation. But, according to his deposition, “he had difficulty remembering the title of his dissertation,” the televised report says.

The report further stated, “Andrews had diffculty remembering exactly when he got the degree, telling Channel 42 he had received it ‘in 2003 or 2001 I believe’. Asked about 1997,” Andrews said, “Correct.” But a copy of Andrews transcript filed as an exhibit in a lawsuit...shows a graduation date of Sept. 29, 1999.”

Another parent said of this “...makes me really question all of his ethics, integrity and scruples.”

State Senator Florence Shapiro, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, told Nanci Wilson of Channel 42, she was surprised to learn that Andrews and Hutto Superintendent David Borrer [Another one. No surprise. Tons of them out there, especially in education administration.] had doctorates from such schools, and added, “I think this is fraudulent and there is a criminal penalty. I think it’s a class B misdemeanor...and should be looked at.”'