Two Woodland Hills School District administrators testified Thursday their professional opinions were undervalued or undermined while working for Superintendent Joe Maluchnik, during a hearing investigating if he should be fired for cause.
A statement of charges, read by attorney Allison Genard who represented Woodland Hills, alleges Maluchnik engaged in gender-based discrimination and harassment, warranting him being fired with cause from the district.
No decision was made during the four-hour hearing. It will reconvene at 6 p.m. June 3 at Woodland Hills High School.
No public comment or video or audio recording was permitted during the hearing.
Hearing examiner Megan Turnbull said there would be a public comment period before the school board makes a decision on Maluchnik.
Maluchnik was hired at Woodland Hills in January 2025. The majority of school board members in March voted to place Maluchnik on unpaid leave, following an investigation into allegations of misconduct raised regarding district employees.
Manning J. O’Connor, an attorney representing Maluchnik, said the issues go far deeper than what was listed in the report, which he said was biased against his client.
O’Connor said Maluchnik was hired to address district finances and establish accountability in the district, but instead, several people smeared him based only on their feelings and suspicions.
“His knowledge, experience and past performance equipped him for this role,” O’Connor said.
Business Manager Jill Regan and Pam White, assistant to the superintendent for administrative services, testified that when raising concerns about Maluchnik’s leadership or district plans, Maluchnik told them to seek alternative employment.
But O’Connor implied their behaviors — two instances where Regan became frustrated during board meetings, and one where White was late to a staff meeting — may have led to Maluchnik’s comments.
Regan said she brought 22 years of experience to her role, but was dismissed by Maluchnik when she suggested plans for an administrative shift in the human resources department. She also notified him early on about the need to work together and fix a $3 million budget hole in the 2025-26 budget.
She further said Maluchnik wouldn’t collaborate with all administrators and change district practices without notice, leading female administrators unable to perform their duties. In some instances, Maluchnik would micromanage positions in an effort to save money while advocating for male administrators to be promoted.
“I said, at this point, it’s him or me,” Regan said. “There’s no doubt in my mind this man is trying to get rid of me.”
O’Connor countered by trying to poke holes in Regan’s outside consulting job, while Regan maintained she’s never had an ethics allegation filed against her.
He also questioned her credibility through asking about an administrator’s buyout contract and a bid opening for a construction project; Regan denied wrongdoing and said issues didn’t fall under her purview and were addressed appropriately.
White testified that, when Maluchnik started at the district, he did not understand the differences between her position and that of Eddie Willson, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction. That led to distrust and unclear communication between the two as Maluchnik considered Willson for a promotion.
White also testified Maluchnik would propose financial savings through attrition of special education positions without the input of her or other employees.
When pressed by O’Connor, White acknowledged she had an issue with Maluchnik’s leadership style and testified she was subject to a “hostile work environment.” She was being prescribed anxiety medication as a result.
Other charges against Maluchnik, according to the statement of charges, are: touching a female teacher in a closed-door meeting and making her feel uncomfortable; engaging in electronic communications undermining female employees; contacting a former district superintendent to seek negative information about Regan; and making unsupported statements during December interviews as part of the investigation into the allegations against him.
Maluchnik and O’Connor both declined comment following Thursday’s hearing.