Union leader urges board to back acting superintendent as meeting moves to closed session

Angela Lawler, president of the Hillside Education Association, told the Hillside Board of Education on Monday that acting superintendent Dr. Perez should not be held responsible for decisions made by prior administrations and urged the board to support Perez as she works to stabilize the district’s budget and staffing.

"Dr. Perez has been placed in a difficult position of trying to correct and stabilize problems that she did not create," Lawler said, adding that the union "does not place blame on any one person sitting here." Lawler asked the board, the community and district staff to provide "unity, support, and collaboration" while Perez addresses the district’s budget challenges.

Lawler’s remarks came during the meeting’s public-comment period, which the presiding officer had opened after a motion and voice vote. Public-comment rules, read aloud before speakers began, noted that comments may be limited to three minutes and that remarks about students and employees are discouraged and may not be answered by the board.

Board members did not make a public response to Lawler’s remarks during the comment period. Later in the meeting the board approved a motion to enter executive session to discuss "personnel, pending or anticipated litigation, labor negotiations, contract negotiations of particular student or students, attorney-client privilege, or the purchase, lease, or acquisition of real property" and said closed-session items would be disclosed when confidentiality no longer applied.

The meeting paused for the closed session after the board completed committee reports; no formal personnel action was announced in public before the adjournment to executive session.