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Saugus School Board member Stephen Winkler was censured and then resigned last month.
More than a week after they first surfaced in the LA Daily News, we still don’t know very much about the harassment and employee abuse allegations being investigated against Board member Richard Vladovic.
According to LAUSD, Board members cannot “impeach” a colleague, but there is a 2003-approved code of conduct covering Board member behavior towards each other and others — and Board members have been censured in the past.
In nearby Saugus, Board member Stephen Winkler (pictured) was censured last month and subsequently resigned.
Enacted a decade ago, Board Rule 106 [“Professional Governance Standards”] calls on Board members to focus on student learning, operate with integrity, govern in “a dignified and professional manner,” and treat everyone with civility and respect.
A cursory Internet search reveals instances where Board members outside of LAUSD have been investigated for violating the district code of conduct and in some cases censured or forced to resign.
In nearby Saugus, Board member Stephen Winkler [pictured above] was censured for controversial remarks on social media just last month, according to SCPR. He resigned a few days later over charges he didn’t live within the district, according to the LA Times.
According to the Daily News, the charges against Vladovic include “employee intimidation and sexual harassment.”
The LA Times has since reported that Vladovic is being investigated for verbally abusing senior district staff such as Deputy Superintendent Jaime Aquino, and that Vladovic admitted yelling at Aquino.
In the meantime, Vladovic’s former Chief of Staff, David Kooper, has been reinstated as principal of Gulf Avenue Elementary School after an investigation into Kooper’s handling of sex abuse allegations, according to the LA Daily News.
Vladovic became School Board President last week by a vote of 5-2. There was no public discussion of the allegations against him. LA School Report and others have published concerns from Vladovic allies that the news of the accusations was leaked in an attempt to derail Vladovic’s candidacy.
Previous posts: Mild Reactions to Vladovic Victory; Harassment Allegations Could Hurt Vladovic’s Chances; Board Presidency Up for Grabs Tuesday; Vladovic the Frontrunner for President