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 online, highlighted the candidate's military service and leadership training.

The board's formal motion to hire the candidate named in the agenda passed by a 6-3 tally; the transcript records the final tally but does not record individual roll-call votes in public minutes during the meeting. The motion was opened for online voting, and the meeting chair announced the vote as "6 to 3." The motion text as read at the meeting was: "Motion to hire Dr. Jo l Malusnick as the superintendent." The transcript does not identify the member who moved the motion or the member who seconded it by name.

In remarks after the vote, the selectee addressed the board and public, describing a career in K–12 education and the military. He said he was "deeply humbled and honored" by the appointment and pledged to "earn your trust" and to fight for resources and opportunities for district students. He referenced prior experience in districts facing state oversight and said he would work "to equip those students and to equip our staff, with the tools that they need to excel beyond the classroom."

Why it matters: a superintendent hire is the board’s most consequential staffing decision, establishing senior leadership for curriculum, safety, budget priorities and district culture. The meeting record shows strong public interest and disagreement about the process and the candidate, with repeated calls for greater transparency from community members and educators.

What the board and speakers said: public commenters repeatedly asked the board to release additional materials from the search and to explain selection criteria. Several speakers identified a different local administrator — named repeatedly by commenters as "Dr. Woods" or similar in public remarks — as a preferred alternative and said that the current candidate lacked some local experience they valued. Supporters of the candidate cited his military record, experience negotiating contracts and implementing safety systems, and urged the board to move forward.

What's next: the board did not record additional procedural steps in the meeting transcript beyond the vote and the candidate's acceptance remarks. Board members and the new superintendent referenced plans to meet with community members who spoke at the meeting to build trust.

Votes at a glance: Motion: "Hire Dr. Jo l Malusnick as the superintendent" — outcome: approved; tally: yes 6, no 3; mover/second: not specified in the public transcript; roll-call votes by individual board member were not read aloud in the meeting record that is in the transcript.

Community reaction: public comment ran more than an hour and included parents, longtime educators, and online commenters. Comments focused on process transparency and the attributes the community expects in a superintendent. Several speakers identified themselves as current or former educators and described specific accomplishments or concerns about candidates.

Board process notes: board members repeatedly referred to the selections and said they would follow up with community members who spoke. The meeting included routine agenda items and other approvals after the vote.

Ending note: the hiring concludes the board’s immediate agenda action but the public record in the transcript shows strong continuing interest from community members in how the district will communicate next steps and integrate stakeholder feedback.