The San Diego Unified School District board on Friday announced it had terminated the district's superintendent, Lamont Jackson.
The district heard public comments for a brief period from two speakers, then retired behind closed doors at around 2 p.m. to discuss the personnel issue.
Previous coverage:
The school leader faced misconduct allegations from former female district employees, according to NBC 7's media partners at the Voice of San Diego, which first reported back in May that the district hired an outside firm to look into allegations against Jackson.
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On Friday, the district sent out a statement to stakeholders in the community, which reads, in part:
"Upon becoming aware of concerns related to inappropriate conduct by the superintendent toward certain employees, the board of education engaged an independent third-party investigator with no ties to the San Diego Unified School District to undertake an investigation. That investigation is now complete. The allegation of inappropriate conduct toward two former employees was found to be credible."
Based on that finding, the board and the superintendent have mutually agreed that separation is in the best interest of the district."
NBC 7 was told that the vote by the board to terminate Jackson was unanimous. The board declined to answer questions from the media following the announcement.
Stepping in immediately to replace Jackson will be Deputy Superintendent Fabiola Bagula, who will be the district's acting superintendent.
The district also included this statement to the departing superintendent and his replacement:
"We are grateful to Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson for his leadership. We are confident Dr. Bagula’s experienced leadership will provide stability and consistency for our students, families, and educators during this transition."
New details
A summary of the internal investigation's findings shared with NBC 7 says the district requested the investigation on April 9. The investigation found that two women claimed Jackson made sexual advances toward them that they denied. The women then said they were fired out of retaliation in 2023, but the investigation could not confirm that was the reason for their termination.
While looking into Jackson, the firm also heard claims that he promoted women who he had been sexual with, but the investigation did not find anything to confirm that.
A spokesperson for the district told NBC 7 they believe Jackson was working earlier this week and that, per his four-year contract, which he signed with the district in 2022, this would fall under "termination without cause," meaning he would get six months of severance. Jackson had been earning more than $433,000 each year, according to the district.
The executive summary was dated Aug. 22, so the investigation has likely been concluded for more than seven days.
Jackson's background
Jackson, who was hired two and a half years ago, after President Joe Biden tapped Jackson's predecessor, Cindy Marten, as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, became the superintendent in 2022 following a year as interim head of the district.
Previously, Jackson, who, as superintendent, currently makes $433,125 a year, worked within the district in various roles over the course of 30 years, including Area 2 superintendent, chief human resources officer and principal of Montgomery, Challenger and Wangenheim Middle Schools.
The investigation
In May, NBC 7 reported that the district hired a Los Angeles law firm to handle the internal investigation, but the school district would not say at that time what the investigation entailed. The Voice of San Diego later reported the internal investigation was focused on Superintendent Lamont Jackson.
NBC 7 contacted SDUSD in May, and a spokesperson said in an email that the “district is precluded from commenting on personnel matters.” The station also reported at that time that it reached out to all school board members and the district’s teachers’ union, but none commented on the investigation.
The contract from the law firm, Sanchez & Amador, LLP, states the district retained the firm April 10, 2024, for representation “in sensitive internal investigations” for a rate of up to $540 per hour. At a public school board meeting on April 30, 2024, the school board approved the contract for an anticipated cost of $100,000.
The contract says attorney Lupe Valencia will have primary responsibility for the investigation. According to the law firm’s website, Valencia “directed and/or oversaw hundreds of internal investigations arising from a variety of employment-related claims, including harassment, discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, code of conduct violations, and alleged fraudulent business practices…”
The San Diego Unified School District is the state's second-largest, with more than 95,000 students and 15,000 employees across more than 200 schools. It also has a budget topping $2 billion.
