The Stockton Unified Board of Education publicly reaffirmed its previous approval of a resignation agreement between the district and former Superintendent John Ramirez Jr.
Trustees were accused of originally brokering the deal illegally behind closed doors at a special meeting in June. The agreement was put back on the board’s agenda for its Tuesday meeting this week in what was described as an attempt to correct any perceived wrongdoing that may or may not have happened the first time around.
“The district is not acknowledging that there was a violation,” District counsel Jack Lipton said during the meeting. “But assuming there was, this board agenda item will cure any alleged violation.”
However, discussion of the agenda item became heated as trustees argued over the legality of both the original agreement with Ramirez and the board’s new attempt to become compliant with state law.
Both trustees AngelAnn Flores and Maria Mendez accused, though for different reasons, Lipton of not keeping the board on the right side of California’s Brown Act, a state law requiring government meetings and decision making be open to the public. …
Cassie Dickman 