Friday, October 18, 2013

Putting the “diss” in dysfunction: BOARDMEMBER GALATZAN INTRODUCES CENSURE MOTION AGAINST BOARD PRESIDENT VLADOVIC

By Barbara Jones, Los Angeles Daily News   http://bit.ly/17y67gj   Original headline: LAUSD board president Vladovic facing censure motion

LAUSD school board President Richard Vladovic (File photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News)

Posted: 10/17/13, 7:23 PM PDT | Updated: 5:30AM  10/18  ::  Los Angeles Unified board member Tamar Galatzan on Thursday released an unprecedented motion asking the board to censure its president, Richard Vladovic, who has been accused of harassment and intimidation by two district employees.

Set to be introduced on Oct. 29 and voted on Nov. 12, Galatzan’s resolution calls on the board to formally reprimand Vladovic “for conduct that has brought dishonor to himself, the School Board, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.”

It also asks that Vladovic publicly acknowledge any misconduct on his part and “take responsibility for his actions.”

Galatzan did not respond to a request for comment.

Vladovic spokesman Mike Trujillo called Galatzan’s resolution a “distraction” from the purpose of the Oct. 29 meeting, which was called to address security and other concerns raised during the initial phase of the district’s effort to equip every student with an iPad.

“This iPad rollout has enough holes in it to make a block of Swiss cheese blush,” Trujillo said.

Galatzan’s resolution revives the board’s discussion of Vladovic, who was a long-time LAUSD administrator and local superintendent for the South Bay before he was elected to represent that area in 2007.

During its Oct. 8 meeting, the board met behind closed doors for four hours to review the two harassment complaints, as well as the results of a three-month investigation into the allegations.

Vladovic has declared himself innocent of harassment or bullying, but has issued a public apology for violating what he called the board’s “civility code.” He has also acknowledged that he had sought treatment for anger issues.

The complaints have been released under a California Public Records Act request, but the findings of the investigation remain confidential.

Trujillo has said the investigation determined the complaints were “unactionable.”

However, in a story published Wednesday in the Daily News, former Vladovic secretary Lily Nuñez said investigators found that her claims of sexual harassment and intimidation “had merit” but could not be pursued because the alleged incidents occurred more than a decade ago.

The male employee who accused Vladovic of harassment and retaliation has not been publicly identified.

The censure motion against Vladovic could be the first ever made against an LAUSD board member.

Jefferson Crain, the board’s secretary, said he didn’t know of any censures since he joined the district in 1989, nor could he recall a similar resolution. A search of electronic records dating back to 1995 did not turn up such an action.

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