Cardinal BOE’s Split Vote May Impact Staffing Issues

February 1, 2022 by Ann Wishart

Cardinal Schools Board of Education’s 3-2 vote Jan. 26 abridged the ability of the school superintendent to enter into a hiring agreement with a candidate until after the board takes action in open session.

The motion, passed after discussion, does permit the superintendent to employ temporary personnel as needed in emergency situations.

“Such employment will be presented to the board of education for approval at the next regular meeting,” the motion read.

The superintendent can still accept resignations and start the process to advertise for and interview candidates for the opening, said Cardinal Superintendent Bill Kermavner in a phone interview Jan. 28.

Voting in favor of the motion, which replaces previous practices, were board President Linda Smallwood, Vice President Barb Rayburn and new board member Kristen Klepper.

Smallwood and Klepper said it is common practice among other districts for superintendents to place a candidate in a position on a temporary basis until the board acts.

Board member Katie Thomas opposed the motion, saying the lack of a concrete offer from the superintendent to a candidate gives the candidate more leeway to shop around and possibly take a job with another district in the interim between hiring on temporarily and having the board authorize the superintendent to sign a contract.

Before Kermavner became superintendent, Cardinal lost a very good music teacher because an agreement was delayed until the next board meeting, Thomas said.

“By the time we’d called back, she’d already accepted a job somewhere else,” Thomas said, adding most school districts are having problems hiring enough teachers and staff now.

Substitutes also are hard to find, she said.

A temporary position may not hold a candidate and candidates are in demand everywhere, Kermavner said.

“We used to have eager people out there hoping to land a teacher’s job,” he said. “The climate has changed and it’s a challenge filling any position.”

Thomas recommended collaboration between the superintendent and the board rather than waiting up to two weeks to ensure a candidate has a position. Even four or five days can give a candidate time to take a position elsewhere if a firm deal is not proposed, she said.

“You are the hiring agent, we are not,” she said to Kermavner. “If you know something, share it. The delays (for board confirmation) cause problems.”

Klepper said the purpose of the action is to give the board more oversight and more accountability.

Long-time board member Wendy Anderson sided with Thomas in opposing the motion.

“I think that is overstepping our bounds,” Anderson said. “The superintendent is doing a good job. When he recommends (a candidate) to us, it’s our job to ask questions and have conversations. You can’t strangle him in his job.”

If Kermavner needs to hire an aid to support a special education student in classes, waiting is not an option, she said.

“That student needs additional help between board meetings,” Anderson said.

Klepper said she attended the Ohio School Boards Association training and asked the regional manager about the issue. She said she was told it is common practice to delay hiring until the board acts.

“It is important, as a board, we take accountability for what happens in the school district,” said Klepper, who was elected to the board in November.

“That’s right – that’s our job,” Anderson said, adding the board has been involved in the process and always has the option to approve or deny the employment list.

Kermavner said in the case of the educational aid/paraprofessional, he needs action as soon as possible to meet the student’s needs.

A current candidate for the janitorial position needs to give two weeks’ notice at another location, but is hesitant to do so until the job at Cardinal is a sure thing, Kermavner said.

Meanwhile, the district doesn’t have a custodian to cover the middle school on Mondays, said Dave Krebs, operations manager.

“It’s an example of how waiting until the next (board) meeting holds us up in the hiring process,” he said.

Smallwood said if a candidate has already worked two weeks at Cardinal on the understanding he or she will have the job permanently and the board decides against hiring that person, “it seems like an awkward situation. She supported giving the board authority in all hiring decisions.

During the summer, candidates all understand they are not hired until the board approves the next school-year list, Kermavner said, but when school is in session, emergency situations arise and positions need to be filled quickly.

He reiterated he is willing to collaborate with board members on individual hiring, but Klepper said temporary agreements with candidates will have to suffice until the board meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

“Promises can’t be made,” she said.