Letters to the Editor
Newbury Schools Procedural Errors
From a professional perspective, the biggest reasons students with significant challenges are unable to remain at their home school is due to procedural errors. And procedural errors are exactly what is concerning me about what’s happening between our districts.
Procedural Error 1: Maggie Zock instructed Superintendent Dr. Jacqueline Hoynes to prematurely issue a press release on Tuesday Jan. 8, 2019, announcing Newbury Schools intention to merge with West Geauga Schools. To our community this was a predetermination without a public vote.
Procedural Error 2: The announcement: “Newbury Local School announced its plan to merge with West Geauga Local Schools for the 2020-2021 school year.” The announcement clearly states that a merger is happening. It is NOT a merger. When the vote took place on Jan. 14, 2019, the majority of the board voted for a Territory Transfer.
A merger and a territory transfer have very distinct differences. A territory transfer can happen without a public vote from the community. A merger requires the vote from the community and can potentially save many jobs. This announcement was both deceptive and misleading.
Procedural Error 3: The board members were issued an email one hour prior to the press release informing them that this announcement was being disseminated to the press. Doesn’t this email violate the Sunshine Law of conducting business with the board outside of a public meeting?
Procedural Error 4: While there was a public work session in November to begin discussing the options for Newbury Schools, Mr. Martin Sanders, a school board member, stated he was not prepared at that time to vote as he still had questions requiring disclosure of more information. A vote was not taken that night nor was there notice of a special meeting and therefore this predetermined decision violates Ohio’s Public Meeting Laws.
Procedural Error 5: Since January 2018, multiple requests for public records have been ignored. This is a violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
The majority of the Newbury School Board is acting quickly and hastily. There is access to the video of the Jan. 14 school board meeting on the schools website. Watch it.
I question the main role of the BOE. I believe it is educating students. But this board wasted $25,000 to develop an unscientific survey that did not reach our entire community. The survey was ambiguous and didn’t offer the community an option to voice the direction they thought the district should move.
Newbury Schools, thanks to our previous board, is financially solvent. The board never considered putting renewal of levies on the ballot to continue to be solvent past 2022. Only one of the renewals would have been required. No additional money from the taxpayers would be collected. The renewal levy or levies, would be enough to support the school, the way it is done in every district in Ohio.
This board also did not do their due diligence in reaching out to families of open-enrolled students in an effort to build our census and potentially reduce cost per pupil. Basically, they showed zero interest in our school district as it stands.
Due to these procedural errors, our communities need to act with keen interest and accountability to look further into this issue that affects all households. I urge you to walk Newbury’s halls. Meet the students. Spend time with the teachers. Contrary to what some may say, Newbury is thriving with the guidance of our devoted teachers and administrators.
Too much will be lost by closing down a school district without proper consideration of the students, staff and local businesses. I urge all community members to ask detailed questions, demand answers and be cautious of who they hear information from in this process.
At this time, a territory transfer is not the answer.
Vicki Koller
Newbury Township
