WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether former board president Georgia Acosta had the authority to use an attorney to advise the board, after she and three other members abruptly fired Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez.
Specifically, the board will determine whether Acosta went beyond her sphere of authority to incur expenses when she asked Chico-based attorney Matthew Paul Juhl-Darlington of Dannis Woliver Kelley law firm to sit in on a Jan. 29 meeting, without board approval. During that meeting, the trustees were set to appoint an interim superintendent. That was tabled after hours of public comment, with dozens of people lambasting the board for the decision and demanding Rodriguez’s reinstatement.
The board later voted to rescind the termination, and to remove Acosta as president.
The board will also decide whether the district will pay the bill, which came to $16,038, according to public documents.
It is not clear what sanctions, if any, Acosta would face if the board determines she was not authorized to hire the attorney. She could be censured, and could be responsible for the bill.
Acosta has not responded to a request for comment as of Saturday afternoon.
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The Trustees will meet at 7pm on Wednesday. To watch the livestream, click here or visit youtube.com/c/pvusdstreaming/live
