LAWRENCE — School Committee members voted last night to suspend Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy without pay and notify him they plan to fire him.
After meeting behind closed doors for a half hour, committee members voted 6-1 to suspend Laboy, who faces charges of fraud and embezzlement, and stop paying his $200,000 salary.
Neither Laboy nor his lawyer, Scott Gleason, attended the special meeting called by Mayor William Lantigua after Laboy was indicted Tuesday by an Essex County grand jury. Gleason did not return phone calls.
Laboy pleaded not guilty in Salem Superior Court yesterday to eight charges of fraud and embezzlement and one count of illegal possession of alcohol on school premises.
School Committee members voted unanimously to notify Laboy of their plan to fire him.
Laboy has 10 days to request a hearing before the committee to discuss the intent to terminate him. If he doesn't request the hearing, then he will be fired. If he does request it, then the committee will have to produce witnesses to support their allegations, and the seven-member committee will need at least a two-thirds majority vote to fire the superintendent, said School Committee attorney Naomi Stonberg.
Stonberg laid out the reasons why she recommended the committee issue a notice of intent to dismiss Laboy.
The reasons included allegations that police found alcohol in Laboy's office — it's a crime and a violation of school policy to have booze on school property. She alleged that Laboy used school employees for a variety of personal matters during the work day, including chauffeuring his son and grandchildren, meeting with building contractors at his home, for technical support on his home computers, to do electrical work at his house and to take out the trash at his Methuen home and dispose of it in Lawrence.
Stonberg said Laboy maintained his own business relationship with a company that sells goods to the schools, without disclosing the relationship.
Laboy opened a Sal's Pizza franchise in Methuen in November 2008. Sal Lupoli is the developer and restaurateur behind the Sal's Pizza chain and his company is a food vendor to the Lawrence schools.
Stonberg said Laboy used the school printing press to make pizza shop menus, without compensating the school system. He also made school employees create brochures for the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Stonberg said.
Stonberg said the negative media attention Laboy has brought to Lawrence makes it impossible for him to be a community leader.
School Committeeman Mark Gray voted against suspending Laboy. He said after the meeting that Laboy should be fired immediately.
If the committee does not end up firing Laboy and Laboy remains suspended and is cleared of the criminal charges, then he can come back and sue the city, Gray said.
Firing Laboy right away would end that possibility, he said.
Gray said suspending Laboy without pay was a "back door way" of helping Laboy.
"I just don't trust it," Gray said.
Gray said Laboy and Mayor Lantigua, who is chairman of the School Committee, are allies. He noted that prosecutors have alleged that Laboy used the school printing press to make campaign material for Lantigua.
Lantigua has denied any knowledge of literature being printed in the School Department on his behalf and has said Laboy should be fired.
"I have no comments about Mr. Gray's comments," Lantigua said.
School Committee member Samuel Reyes said he expects Laboy to be fired.
"I see no reason why not," he said. "That is our intention and we're going to move forward."
"This is something that I think is long over due," said fellow member Martina Cruz, saying the committee is going "through the process."
Stonberg suggested that Laboy's hearing be scheduled between March 23 and 27. Stonberg said the hearing will likely take "a couple of nights."
The committee voted unanimously to make the hearing public.
