Board votes 5–0 to terminate Viloria contract without cause
Vote 5-0
At the November 21, 2024 regular board meeting, the outgoing LBUSD Board of Education voted 5-0 in closed session to terminate Superintendent Jason Viloria's employment contract effective December 31, 2024. The closed-session agenda noticed two related items back-to-back: "Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release Government Code Section 54957" (item 3.C) and "Conference with Labor Negotiators - Government Code § 54957.6" (item 3.E) — the §54957.6 item being the procedural vehicle through which the $373,142.16 separation package was deliberated. The action was characterized as "without cause"; per the district press release the board stated the decision was not based on performance, but in the district's best interests given anticipated changes in the governing board. The approved minutes contain the §54957.1(b) written report-out verbatim: "In closed session, by a vote of 5 to 0, the Board took action to terminate the employment contract of District employee number 7000002410." The minutes also flag a discrepancy: "A verbal statement by the Board President that 'We have no report out of closed session' was made but was not accurate to the extent it referred to the written report." Despite the vote, Viloria continued to attend the open session and delivered his Superintendent's Report, including thanks to outgoing trustees Vickers and Osborne. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM. Per a subsequent letter to the editor co-authored by George Weiss and Kate McMahon (LBI, March 14, 2025), Viloria's separation package was valued at $373,142.16 plus benefits and included continued access to district staff, business information, and financial authority for a period following his departure.
People referenced
Citations (9)
- LBUSD Superintendent and Board Reach Separation Agreement primary Laguna Beach Unified School DistrictLaguna Beach Unified School District · 2024-11-22
The Board's decision to enter into this agreement was not based on Dr. Viloria's performance as his evaluations have consistently demonstrated exemplary results throughout his tenure. We have taken action to release him without cause as we believe it is in the best interests of the district, given anticipated changes in the governing board that may influence the direction and priorities of the district moving forward.
Statement attributed to then-Board President Jan Vickers.
- Laguna Beach Independent · 2024-11-26
- Letter: Contrasting views on former LBUSD Superintendent Jason Viloria's tenure op-ed Laguna Beach IndependentLaguna Beach Independent · Kate McMahon, George Weiss · 2025-03-14
His sudden, surprise separation agreement (at his request) included a package worth $373,142.16, plus benefits. Strangely, it also allowed him continued access to district staff, business information and financial authority after vacating his office.
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
LBUSD recording of the meeting; see /meetings/2025-09-25-regular for a transcript-derived summary.
- The LBUSD Governance Crisis: Defending Jason Viloria Amidst Financial Scandal and Legal 'Red Flags' advocacy George Weiss's SubstackGeorge Weiss's Substack · George Weiss · 2026-02-27
Substack post by George Weiss (Feb 27, 2026), 'The LBUSD Governance Crisis: Defending Jason Viloria Amidst Financial Scandal and Legal Red Flags,' which defends the institutional context of Viloria's tenure. Cited on the termination event as an attributed perspective; the post is not itself an event.
- "We Remember What You Forgot": The Real Record on Jason Viloria and LBUSD op-ed LagunaUnmuted (Medium)LagunaUnmuted (Medium) · Laguna Unmuted · 2025-06-01
Board-majority-aligned retrospective on Viloria's tenure, published June 1, 2025 — references a 2017 Superior Court ruling and 2020 appellate affirmance involving an LBUSD student-suspension matter under Education Code §48911. The vault capture is a WebFetch summary of the Medium piece; verbatim quotation would require re-fetching the original.
- Laguna Beach Unified: Exposing the Flaws of the Past, Defending Reform for the Future op-ed LagunaUnmuted (Medium)LagunaUnmuted (Medium) · Laguna Unmuted · 2025-08-22
Board-majority-aligned reform manifesto framing the post-2024 board as a corrective to prior-administration failures.
- Ruling From the Political Grave: How a Defeated Laguna Beach Trustee Left a District on Autopilot op-ed LagunaUnmuted (Medium)LagunaUnmuted (Medium) · Laguna Unmuted · 2025-08-29
Board-majority-aligned retrospective on former trustee Jan Vickers, written shortly after the new majority took office.
- Approved Minutes — Regular Board Meeting, November 21, 2024 primary Laguna Beach Unified School DistrictLaguna Beach Unified School District · 2024-11-21
Written report of closed session action (Government Code 54957.1(b)): In closed session, by a vote of 5 to 0, the Board took action to terminate the employment contract of District employee number 7000002410. (Note: A verbal statement by the Board President that "We have no report out of closed session" was made but was not accurate to the extent it referred to the written report.)
The §54957.1(b) written report-out language verbatim from the approved minutes, with the secretary's note flagging the discrepancy between Vickers's verbal statement and the written report.