Superintendent search must begin anew

Three of seven Columbus Board of Education members have proposed a good way to get the district’s search for a new superintendent back on track: Start over, and call in a mediator to coordinate the search and an independent legal adviser to keep it on the right side of Ohio’s Open Meetings Law.

Unfortunately, the other four members voted down the resolution and the superintendent search remains stuck.

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost believes the board violated the law by having secret meetings as part of the current search and has warned members that taking any further actions based on those meetings could bring legal and financial consequences for the district and for them individually.

The way to fix it, Yost said in a Monday letter disclosing preliminary findings to board President Gary Baker, “is to begin the search process anew to avoid potential financial losses for the district, the appointed individual, and board members.”

A fresh search also would reassure the public that the board is serious about choosing a superintendent the right way.

The need for a new search has been apparent for weeks, since Yost and The Dispatch first expressed concern about decisions made in secret. But Baker has said he wants to wait for the final outcome of Yost’s investigation before taking any action.

Instead, the board should get going on the hard work of reaching consensus on a truly open search. The rejected resolution would have been a good start.

Why a mediator? Because the school board apparently is fundamentally divided on a number of issues, as demonstrated Tuesday. Members Mary Jo Hudson, Dominic Paretti and Eric Brown proposed and voted for the resolution to scrap the current search; board President Gary Baker, Vice President Michael Cole and members Shawna Gibbs and JOIN THE CONVERSATION

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Ramona Reyes voted no.

Historically, Hudson, Paretti and Brown have dissented on a number of votes — for example, consistently opposing spending on travel to conferences by Baker, Cole and Gibbs. Hudson’s declaration on Tuesday was frank: “We can’t agree on anything.”

Tuesday’s resolution was a noteworthy act of minority opposition, with its supporters admitting to — and accusing their colleagues of — violating state law by choosing finalists in closed meetings.

It was a highly unusual public statement.

Dissent on a public body is healthy, and Hudson, Paretti and Brown are standing up for taxpayers.

But the split vote on Tuesday reveals a divide that could get in the way of making a very important decision: who is to lead Ohio’s largest school district through challenging times ahead.

A mediator, working with the board’s mandate and in public, could push for a consensus that might otherwise be elusive.

The board has little to gain by doubling down on a flawed search. It’s time to start over.