Woodland Hills board approves superintendent candidate 6-3 after hours of public comment

The Woodland Hills School District Board of Directors voted 6-3 Jan. 15 to approve agenda item 3.1, hiring the candidate listed on the agenda as Dr. Jo l Malusnick as superintendent.

The vote capped a meeting in which dozens of residents and educators addressed the board during public comment, with several urging the board to delay the appointment and others urging the board to move forward. "Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any institution that serves the public," said Lynn Banaszak during public comment, urging the board to “reconsider your decision, table this vote [and] continue the selection process.” Carlton Scott and William Timmers also urged the board to reopen the search and consider other candidates named publicly during the meeting.

Supporters of the selected candidate spoke at length as well. Janet Meathmeier, who identified herself as a 30-year educator and adjunct faculty member, described the candidate's background in operations, contract negotiations and school-safety work and said, "He’s smart, he’s fair, he’s kind, he’s selfless, and he’s humble." John Jeffers, who spoke…