Teacher Certification Appeals Council elects co‑chair, resolves dozens of appeals

The Teacher Certification Appeals Council on April 24, 2025, elected Mister Milosa as co‑chair and resolved dozens of individual certification appeals, approving most requests and denying several, while deferring one case to a later meeting.

The council’s action affects a list of appellants identified in the hearing record. The council also recessed into an executive session to discuss the character, professional competence or health of a person; the council’s presiding officer said no votes would be taken while in executive session and that any final votes would occur after it returned to public session.

Mister Milosa, a council member, was nominated and approved by voice vote to serve as co‑chair. The council approved the minutes of the Nov. 7, 2024 meeting before proceeding to the contested certification cases.

The council opened and resolved a sequence of appeals listed in the agenda as cases A through MM. For each case the council took a formal motion and recorded the outcome in public session. The outcomes included approvals “as requested,” denials, one case granted a final extension, and one case deferred for further information. In one instance (case K, Tanya Lovell) Doctor Kiper recorded an abstention; a separate abstention was recorded during consideration of case O (Cullen Bovio). The council denied the request in case R (Latonya Givens).

The council moved into a closed executive session to review matters about applicants’ character or competence; council members were advised that no votes would be taken during the session and that disclosure of executive‑session discussion would not be permitted in public session. After reconvening, the council took the public votes recorded below.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes: Motion to accept minutes from Nov. 7, 2024 — approved by voice vote. - Election of co‑chair: Nomination and voice vote accepting Mister Milosa as co‑chair — approved. - Executive session: Motion to enter executive session to discuss character/professional competence/health of a person — motion approved (two‑thirds threshold noted); no votes taken in session.

Appeals (public roll call votes and motions as recorded): - Case A — Gregory Free: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case B — Dorothy Hopper: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Cases C–J — Penny Thibodeaux; Premisha Baker; Katie Hutchinson; Kelly Bilodeau; Murnene Stratton; Tara Cordell; Victoria Stein; Julie Bellegarde: Motion to approve as requested — approved. - Case K — Tanya Lovell: Motion to accept the request — approved; Doctor Kiper abstained. - Case L — Wanda Evans: Motion to accept the request — approved. - Case M — Jason Tubbs: Motion to accept the request — approved. - Cases N–Q — Beverly Matthews; Cullen Bovio; Anastasia McCoy; Natasha Manuel: Motion to accept the requests — approved; one abstention recorded on case O (not attributed to a specific member in the public transcript). - Case R — Latonya Givens: Motion to deny the request for lack of sufficient information — motion to deny approved. - Cases S–T — Ashley Billotte; Emma Gerard: Motion to approve the requests — approved. - Case U — Casey Short: Motion to grant a one‑final‑time extension — approved. - Cases V–Y — Remy Hill; Robin Sam; Paula Sabinetti; Tetsu Jamore (transcript labeling irregular): Motions on the floor to approve/extend as noted — approved. - Case Z — Cecilia Dugas: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case AA — Jeffrey Capel: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case BB — Royman Jones: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case DD — Dawson Tullis: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Cases CC/related: Transcript indicates motions revisited and passed (details not specified in the record excerpt). - Case EE — Donovan Hewitt: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case FF — Avery Glass: Motion to deny the request — denied. - Case GG — Antrice McLean: Motion to deny the request — denied. - Case HH — Jessica Freeman: Motion noted and acted on as written (motion type in transcript: request as written) — action approved as recorded. - Case II — Curtis Lewis: Motion to defer this case to the August council meeting to gather more information — motion approved (deferred). - Case JJ — Michelle Miller: Motion to approve the request — approved. - Case KK — Neely Darby: Motion to deny the request — denied. - Case LL — Roderick Moe: Motion to deny the request for eligibility — denied; the council recorded that it would not hear the case again without new information. - Case MM — Jennifer Murphy: Motion to approve the request — approved.

All motions were presented and resolved in public session after reconvening from executive session. Where the transcript records a specific abstention or a named mover/second, that detail appears above; otherwise the public record notes only that the motion passed by voice or roll call. The transcript did not provide a complete roll‑call vote sheet for each item in the excerpt provided.

Why this matters

The council’s rulings determine whether individual applicants receive or retain teaching credentials; denials or conditions can affect applicants’ employment prospects and local school staffing. The use of an executive session for assessments of character and competence is routine procedure for confidential personnel or licensing matters, and the council publicly recorded its outcomes after the closed deliberations.

What’s next

The council adjourned at the close of the agenda. One case (Curtis Lewis, case II) was deferred to the council’s August meeting for additional information; other applicants will be notified of the council’s actions according to the council’s standard procedures.