Joe Maluchnik testified Thursday that while he had experience improving school districts as an administrator, his efforts to do so at Woodland Hills were resisted.
Thursday was the fifth, and final, session of the hearing into Maluchnik’s employment and allegations of misconduct as Woodland Hills’ superintendent.
Maluchnik was hired in 2025 and placed on unpaid leave in March.
A school board vote on Maluchnik’s employment will take place at an upcoming public meeting, but it wasn’t clear when that would be scheduled.
The district lodged 10 allegations against Maluchnik, related to gender-based discrimination and harassment. Accusations include promoting only male administrators and speaking or acting in a way that made female staff members feel uncomfortable and excluded from district decision-making.
In the first two meetings, allegations were made by four district employees — Business Manager Jill Regan; Pam White, assistant to the superintendent for administrative services; Leah Sylvis, director of special education; and teacher Lori McDowell.
In the third session, attorney Gretchen Love testified about the report investigating allegations against Maluchnik. She found the claims against Maluchnik to be credible.
Maluchnik and his attorney, Manning J. O’Connor, deny the claims.
On Monday, three people — Kelly Carns, the district’s supervisor of accounting services; former board member Sara Raszewski; and community member Timothy Reed — testified that Maluchnik was professional and made attempts to address the district’s financial and policy issues.
Maluchnik addressed each allegation Thursday in a hearing that lasted more than five hours. He said he worked to make efforts to improve the financial, policy and academic stance of the district and that administration was involved in those discussions.
He said he was able to do so at previous administrative jobs in Orange County, Va., and at the Everett Area, Greensburg-Salem and Wilkinsburg school districts.
He testified the district’s special education costs were high for low results, and suggested the special education leaders identify where cuts needed to be made. Maluchnik said he was supportive of White and believed that himself, White and Eddie Willson, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction, would make a strong administrative team.
Maluchnik testified that he also tried to promote women to recognize their work. Additionally, Woodland Hills had no standard operating procedures for hiring practices, he said.
Maluchnik denied claims that McDowell made about him holding her hands in a closed-door meeting that made her feel uncomfortable.
When they exchanged emails after that meeting, McDowell did not mention that alleged encounter, Maluchnik said.
Maluchnik claimed that accusation only came up after other administrators learned they had exchanged emails, and a dispute over Maluchnik not wanting to pay a two-year buyout to a former human resources director, whom McDowell is friends with.
Maluchnik added that a two-year buyout for administrators was unheard of in public education and could end up costing Woodland Hills millions of dollars, opening the door for other administrators to do the same.
But in her closing argument, Woodland Hills’ attorney Allison Genard said the allegations involving McDowell were enough to warrant him being dismissed, proving neglect of duty, incompetence and intemperance, in addition to the other claims made against him.
“He made a series of bad judgement calls in his interaction with Lori McDowell and then lied about it,” Genard said.
Maluchnik said he uses written communications to protect the integrity of conversations, and to hold himself and the employee to the expectations stated in the emails. Maluchnik admitted that he reached out to the former interim superintendent, but it was not to seek negative information about administrators.
Genard and Woodland Hills Solicitor Matthew Racunas tried to connect Maluchnik’s conduct with allegations made against him when he was Wilkinsburg School District’s superintendent. But Maluchnik countered that when he considered the Woodland Hills job, Wilkinsburg officials counter-offered a deal in an effort to retain him.
Genard maintained that the testimony and documents presented in the hearing showed there was evidence to remove Maluchnik from his role. Maluchnik never provided evidence that he was holding anyone accountable, she said, and that he engaged in “mental manipulation” to the people that raised concerns against him.
“It was about concrete actions that resulted in them being excluded in important conversations while simultaneously being blamed for the district’s shortcomings,” she said.
In his closing statement, O’Connor said the hearing against Maluchnik was a “smokescreen” for something “deeper and more sinister.” He referred to an incident where Regan said, “I have to get him before he gets me.”
“(Maluchnik) wanted accountability. He wanted performance,” O’Connor said. “And when he started to communicate those demands, people got very nervous and very worried, and all of a sudden ‘it’s either him or me.’”
As superintendent, O’Connor said, the buck stopped with Maluchnik.
“He wanted to do better. He wanted teachers to perform better. He wanted them to be accountable but no, they decided their feelings were hurt, so what were they going to do? Let’s get him before he gets us.”
O’Connor told the board to let Maluchnik lead the district, improve student performance and no longer perpetuate “the highly paid mediocrity going on.”
“They didn’t like it. They set out to get him before he got me,” O’Connor said “Don’t let this happen to the taxpayers or the students of this district.”