Vassallo

A laid-off community college biology instructor appeals from a judgment denying her petitions to compel partial reinstatement as a biology teacher and issuance of a credential for teaching other subjects.

The judgment is affirmed.

Statement of Facts

In 1973, Hartnell Community College District (hereafter, District) hired appellant Marilyn Vassallo, Ph.D., as a full-time biology instructor. In ear ly 1983, facing declining enrollment and a shrinking budget, District decided to cut a certain number of positions from 20 departments in the following year. Thereafter, District notified 23 employees that their positions would be reduced or eliminated. Appellant’s full-time position in the biology department was completely eliminated.

Appellant has a credential to teach only biology. On March 15, 1983, she applied for “limited service credentials” (Cal. Admin. Code, tit. 5, § 52250 et seq.; Ed. Code, § 87292) that would qualify her to teach mathematics and chemistry.

District has standards for determining whether limited credential applicants are competent to teach in a specified subject area. For chemistry teachers, District requires 24 units of college chemistry.…