In a landmark decision, a California appeals court ruled that the West Contra Costa Unified School District violated state law by not doing enough to hire qualified teachers, sending a message to schools statewide that blaming vacancies on a teacher shortage is not a valid excuse. Cleare et. al v. WCCUSD is the first lawsuit filed to enforce the Williams Act, which guarantees a qualified teacher in every classroom, among other school standards. On Thursday, just two weeks after hearing oral