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More than a dozen people lauded the San Benito High School District trustees’ decision to hire Superintendent John Perales about two years ago and asked them to keep him in that role before board members adjourned to a closed session where they were set to evaluate the top administrator.

During public comment at the special meeting, held Tuesday, Perales referenced a conversation with Board President Ray Rodriguez last Friday, where he was told to set a closed session meeting for his evaluation and that the school’s lawyer would be present.

Perales said he loved the students, staff and culture of the school but added he had hired his own lawyer to ask the district for a complete buyout of his contract, the superintendent said.

“I felt that we were at a point of no return,” he said. “We were at a point of not being able to get along, which is embarrassing because we’re all adults.”

In the past, there have been evaluations without a lawyer present, explained Katherine Foster, the President of the San Benito Teachers Association, in a conversation with the Free Lance after the meeting.

“If it were only going to be an evaluation of the superintendent, there would be no need to have a lawyer,” Foster said.

The role of a lawyer is to look at how to fire him or break contract, she said. The three methods the district could use to break a contract include buying out the remainder of the contract; showing he was not doing the job or fulfilling his side of the agreement; and making him so miserable he leaves, Foster told the Free Lance.

Public speakers didn’t say Perales was perfect but highlighted improved staff morale, a better school culture, a more focused administration team, and his accessibility to staff, parents and students. Trustee Steve DeLay also read a letter penned by Monica Rodriguez, the wife of the board president, during public comment. In that letter Rodriguez said it cannot be normal for a board member to receive communication from the superintendent at all times, even while on vacation.

“This is not healthy for the board president or any board members to continue in this path,” the letter explained.

Trustees, including Ray Rodriguez, are prohibited from speaking during public comment.

The relationship between trustees—who hold the power to hire and fire the superintendent—and the top administrator was markedly tense in January, when the district paid $3,000 for a consultant-led workshop to sort out communication break-downs between the two parities.

Trustees extended the public comment during the meeting this week, which is typically restricted to 15 minutes, to allow each of the 15 speakers to talk.

Those taking the podium included Katherine Foster, the president of the San Benito High School Teachers Association; Rob Zimmerman, the district’s manager of maintenance, operations and facilities; several Future Farmers of America teachers; and Perales. Teacher Tom Rooth praised Perales for negotiating a raise for teachers, bringing air conditioning to classrooms and communicating with staff and students every day. The teacher didn’t agree with all his decisions but applauded the superintendent for getting things done, he said.

“Mr. Perales represents a paradigm shift,” Rooth said. “I’d like to see him stay in place.”

Following the public comment, trustees convened to closed session.

At about 7:45 p.m. trustees emerged and reported no action had been taken in closed session, the board president told the Free Lance. Under the Brown Act, trustees must report actions taken in closed session, including changes to a contract with a superintendent.

When it comes to paying off the $100 million-plus wastewater treatment plant, the City of Hollister gets an A-plus. And a recent upgrade leading to that credit rating could result in lower monthly rates on residents’ sewer bills.

Hollister council members Monday expressed disappointment at the continued tone from Gavilan College leaders who are reluctant to build an educational center downtown, and broached the possibility of approaching California State, Monterey Bay or another institution about opening a site here.

State Sen. Anthony Cannella this week joined Assemblyman Luis Alejo and the county board in requesting a parole denial for murderer and rapist Gustavo Marlow.

Although a contractor initially expected to do a downtown Hollister lane reconfiguration during the holiday shopping season, that work is now planned for sometime in mid-April, a city official said this week.

Gavilan College trustees discussed education center sites for San Benito County but took no action, as the item was slated for just discussion at the March 8 board meeting.

While they might not have marched across the stage to pomp and circumstance, dozens of high school students in San Benito County who didn’t pass the California High School Exit Exam are set to receive retroactive diplomas.

Hollister council members Monday learned that it will take an investment of more than $8 million annually for five years to bring local roads into good shape, while it will cost nearly $4 million to maintain their condition.

Hollister School District trustees unanimously approved making R.O. Hardin School a priority school, which means the campus will get extra funding and resources to help its teachers better reach their students and close an achievement gap in the coming years.

Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez recently announced he will attend a 10-day trip to China that is funded by a nonprofit Silicon Valley organization working to facilitate business connections.