Sweetwater’s school board puts superintendent on leave after laying off 223 employees

The Sweetwater Union High School District School Board Wednesday night voted in a closed virtual meeting to place Superintendent Karen Janney on paid administrative leave.

The decision comes a day after a state financial audit found evidence of possible fraud, misstatements in financial records and other actions that auditors say obscured the depth of the district’s financial troubles in recent years.

The action also followed a public board meeting in which a divided Sweetwater board voted to lay off 223 employees and to make other cuts to its budget, despite much public debate and resistance.

The five-member school board later met after the public meeting in a closed special session and virtually voted 4-1 to remove Janney.

Board President Frank Tarantino was the sole vote against it. He later stepped down as board president.

“Please understand my position,” he said. “The board deserves to be led by someone who is going to be in support of this.”

The board chose Dr. Moises Aguirre to serve as acting superintendent. Aguirre is the assistant superintendent of facilities and operations.

Tarantino read a statement from the board indicating that Janney’s removal was not to be considered a disciplinary action.

“It is to support and ensure the efficient investigation of the concerns raised in the (audit) report,” he said, adding that the district will cooperate with state, county and federal entities investigating the district.

The audit report said there was “significant evidence” that current and former employees may have committed fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal practices. Among its many findings, state auditors determined that Janney and district finance staff violated their fiduciary duties.

District staff members also intentionally misrepresented the district’s finances and left out and delayed information when presenting financial information to the school board and to bond market participants, the report said.

Wednesday afternoon, during the board’s public meeting, members discussed and approved a plan to lay off 223 employees. The cuts would result in the elimination of all librarian positions and the closure of all the district’s learning centers, which help students who are behind catch up on class credits.

Board members voted 3-2 to accept the cuts, over the objections of 15 speakers.

Janney attended the meeting and said the layoffs were unfortunate but necessary due to persistent declines in enrollment.

In February Janney said the district had lost more than 1,700 students over the last four years, costing it nearly $17.3 million in lost revenue. She added that personnel costs account for 87 percent of the district’s operating budget.

The layoffs would result in about $22 million in savings.

“This, again, is a very difficult decision and a difficult recommendation because it impacts staff — staff that we care about,” Janney said. “It hits very close to home to many of us at Sweetwater, myself included.”

During the meeting, Janney explained that laid off staff members may be asked to return if enrollment increases or additional funds become available.

That prompted board member Arturo Solis to tack on an additional proposal to the motion to approve the cuts. The motion says that if enrollment numbers climb or funds materialize, laid off librarians would be brought back first.

“I used to go to the libraries in the morning and during lunch — I know how important librarians are,” Solis said.

Board members Nicholas Segura and Paula Hall voted against the layoffs. Both acknowledged that cuts were necessary, but they argued more cuts should have come from the district office.

“When we’re facing this kind of financial crisis, we need to show true leadership and cut from the top,” Segura said.

The board also voted to furlough two managers, reducing them from a 222-day work year to a 202-day work year.