LATON – Former Madera Unified School District Associate Superintendent, and now Superintendent for the Laton Joint Unified School District, Victor Villar has found himself in trouble again for allegedly creating a hostile work environment.
Following a special meeting of the district’s board of trustees, Villar was placed on paid administrative leave last week following allegations the educator was involved in a relationship with a district employee and creating the hostile environment with another employee.
A complaint filed by the California Federation of Teachers accuses Villar of engaging in “behavior of an intimate nature” with a subordinate, then treating a teacher who knew of the relationship with hostility. The labor union says the situation led to “a work environment that interferes with at least one bargaining unit member’s ability to complete her work responsibilities.”
The complaint also cites an anonymous letter sent to the district that alleged that Villar had a pattern of hiring unqualified individuals for certificated positions, including the woman involved in this alleged romantic entanglement.
Neither Villar nor the school district would comment on these allegations citing an ongoing investigation and personnel issues.
Villar worked at the Madera Unified School District’s district office for two years before the Madera Unified School District did not renew his contract at a February 27, 2017 meeting. During that meeting four of the district’s top administrators received their pink slips stating they would no longer be working for the district as of June 30th of that year. This followed the immediate firing of then MUSD Superintendent Ed Gonzales earlier at the boards February 15, 2017 meeting.
Villar, along with Gonzalez, was the subject of an investigation in early 2015, which was initiated by former MUSD board president Maria Velarde-Garcia and was conducted by S. Brett Sutton of Sutton Hague Law Corporation. Villar was accused of “aggressive and bullying conduct” and Sutton suggested the Associate Superintendent and Superintendent were in need of anti-harassment and bullying training.
MUSD Trustee Ed McIntyre called the allegations a case of “he-said, she-said.”
According to a Fresno Bee report, McIntyre said the report did not investigate the “full scope of what we asked for” and should have been presented to the board before the hearing. “I apologize to two of our employees for putting you through this,” he said.
Now it looks Villar is back in the hot seat at a different school district. We will stay on top of this story and update it as more details become available.
