In School Board debates, candidate Jan Vickers refused answering questions about 2017 salary increases for the Superintendent, after a state judge ruled “The court finds…Jason Viloria, as Superintendent…abused discretion…had no statutory authority…is ordered to cease.” Even then the Board and Superintendent disobeyed court, violating Board Bylaw 9310.
Another pay hike was approved in 2020 after three-judge state appeals court confirmed the 2017 against Board and Superintendent. The judges sternly criticized legal arguments in LBUSD’s costly failed appeal.
Vickers defended her silence citing Board bylaws on speaking in public about “litigation and personnel matters” deemed “confidential.” Yet, triggered by rival candidates criticizing salary increases rewarding unlawful conduct, Vickers blurted out an invitation for voters to contact her directly for private discussion of the very litigation matters she classified “confidential.”
What that means is Vickers’ own words confirm what we’ve been told, that she talks to public about confidential matters as long as it can’t be proven. In doing so she has repeatedly violated Board Bylaws 9010 and 9200.
It’s Vickers who was inaccurate. Court rulings that the Superintendent acted unlawfully and salary increases that followed are matters of public record. No one asked Vickers to disclose confidential deliberations. The question was whether candidate Vickers stands by Board’s silence on court’s abuse of power ruling followed by salary increases.
To understand fallacy of Vickers’ “confidentiality” claims read CA Gov. Code Section 54963(e)(3), state law declaring whatever is known to public doesn’t become “confidential” if discussed in closed deliberations. This prevents abuse of secrecy powers by reverse engineering closed meetings to discuss public information then claiming “confidentiality.”
That’s precisely what this Superintendent, his lawyer and Board majority did in unlawful attempts to silence minority Board members and public. Vickers confuses clueless board members and gullible PTA moms and dads, like many of us used to be. But enough is enough, the public isn’t buying Vickers’ silence on misconduct in which she and the Board were complicit.
After all, for three decades Vickers has evaded accountability by castigating those who seek transparency, and falsely claiming publicly known official matters were “confidential.” Why should she stop now? Only educated voters can answer that question in this election.
Howard Hills, Laguna Beach
