The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Levy, records, HB 70 up for discussion
Despite months of public debate, Lorain City School board members say they still are searching for clarity on key issues in the district. Like other meetings of the recent past, a school levy, public records requests and the relationship with the district chief executive officer all came up for discussion for the Lorain City School board of education on March 12. The 90-minute meeting had about three dozen people attending, smaller than the capacity crowd that jammed the Lorain High School media center during
the Feb. 26 board meeting.
On March 12, there was little board action by board members Mark Ballard, Tony Dimacchia, Yvonne Johnson, Bill Sturgill and Timothy Williams.
But there was plenty of public discussion on issues that remain unclear for Lorain schools. CEO David Hardy Jr. did not attend the meeting.
School levy
Since at least November 2017, the Lorain Schools board of education has discussed the renewal of the 2012 emergency levy that raises about $3.12 million a year for the district.
But the school board members have said they do not have adequate information to ask voters to consider the issue.
On March 12, resident Rhoda Lee, a frequent meeting attendee, asked when Lorain City Schools will reach financial crisis if there is no renewal levy on the ballot.
District Treasurer Joshua Hill said the school board would need to file the appropriate legal paperwork by Aug. 5 to have the levy on the November ballot. After that, the levy would expire as of Jan. 1 and the board could consider a public vote on a levy in 2020.
Lee later urged the board to reconsider a November vote. “Our children need it,” she said.
Ballard, the board president, agreed Lorain schools always need money. A levy could be on the ballot soon, depending on what happens in Columbus dealing with House Bill 70, the state law governing school in the state’s “academic distress” rating.
Lee’s plea led to a heated exchange between Sturgill, who said he has been quiet on the issue, and Johnson, who said she has been asking about it the last nine or 10 months.
“I have said that I didn’t care how we felt about the CEO, that if we cared about the students, it’s a renewal … it’s money that we needed for the students and if you cared about that, after he’s long since gone, we still needed that money for our students,” Johnson said.
The levy could have been on already and it could have been passed, she said, although she conceded it likely would be voted down. Lorain schools need it but the district will lose it, Johnson said.
Sturgill said he takes an entirely different approach.
“I don’t think anybody in here can tell me that we need a levy, other than we always need money,” Sturgill said. “That’s true, we could always use money for better services and this and that.
“But the i nformation that I’ve received, I couldn’t look anybody in the face, that lives in Lorain, and tell them, do we actually need it? Because I really don’t know. And you know what? I used to know. There’s information that I haven’t gotten, there’s information that I’ve wanted, there’s information that I used to get every month,” because the board was helping Lorain schools get out of a financial hole, Sturgill said.
When Johnson said she agreed with Sturgill, Williams told her not to “hijack” Sturgill. Johnson apologized and said she thought Sturgill was finished speaking.
Sturgill continued to say in the last 18 to 20 months, Lorain schools has spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money but he does not know if it was spent for good reasons.
“I don’t get information and you want my vote? OK, you have to give me the information and it has not been forthcoming,” Sturgill said.
Public records
Lorain Law Director Pat Riley attended the meeting and explained he will serve as lead attorney for the school board, while attorney Anthony Giardini will continue advising the board about property tax value cases at the Lorain County Board of Revision.
Riley advised the board to request a legal opinion about public records and what the rights of the board are regarding district records. He called that a “fundamental issue” for the board.
Earlier March 12, Dimacchia sent the board members an eight-part public records request and list of issues for discussion based on findings presented at the Feb. 26 meeting by Diane Conibear-Xander and Steve Cawthon, two members of the Lorain Academic Distress Commis- sion.
CEO works for …
Part of Dimacchia’s public records request asked if Hardy is considered an employee of Lorain City Schools. The board and Hill discussed the process of the how Hardy is to be paid.
Technically, the Internal Revenue Service would consider Hardy a Lorain school employee due to his federal W-2 tax form issued by Lorain City Schools, Hill said.
The state has lagged in repaying Lorain schools for Hardy’s contract, Hill said.
Speaking during the public comment period, parents asked Hill questions about the district paying Hardy and if Lorain schools could stop doing so. With his reputation and state school treasurer’s license on the line, Hill said he would not do anything illegal, even if he was ordered to do so.
In his public records request, Dimacchia asked for copies of Hill’s work contract and for an independent auditor to do a forensic audit of Lorain City Schools.
It is a problem in HB 70 that Hill has continued as district treasurer, a position that answers to the Lorain school board, and chief strategy and innovation officer in Hardy’s administration, Dimacchia said. He argued the positions would have a conflict of interest working for both entities.
State meeting
Since the election of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, there has been movement in Columbus to change HB 70, Ballard said.
On March 11, Ballard said he met with Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria in Columbus. At the state Board of Education meeting, people were standing in line to speak with him about the effects of the state law, Ballard said.
“He (DeMaria) is even saying that House Bill 70 is impossible for them to manage and they know that there’s some change coming, so all the hard work that we’re doing here in Lorain is paying off and we’re very appreciated across the entire state,” Ballard said.
Johnson returns
Johnson attended on March 12 but did not attend the last board meeting. She said she was away due to illness.
“I’d like to thank everybody for the calls and cards and well wishes while I was out ill for such a long time,” Johnson said.