School Board
According to the Ohio School Boards Association and the Ohio Revised Code ((RC) 3313.12 and 3311.19) , board members may be compensated for their service up to $125 per meeting. Boards are not required to pay the statutory maximum, but may choose to compensate at any rate up to the statutory maximum. In addition to being compensated for their attendance at meetings, educational service center and joint vocational board members also may be reimbursed for mileage to and from board meetings at a rate set by the board. A board may pass a resolution or change board policy to change board compensation amounts at any time, but those changes will apply only to board members beginning new terms or for those appointed to a vacancy after the change is made.
Source: 1/9/2011 Board of education pay varies Different school districts in county offer members different amounts By Melanie Yingst Staff Writer Troy Daily News
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http://www.ohioschoolboards.org/candidate-for-school-boards
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Journal News
Fairfield residents file elections complaint naming 26 individuals, entities
5:21 PM Monday, October 17, 2011
FAIRFIELD — Three Fairfield residents have filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission regarding a businessman’s illegal campaign contributions during the 2009 Board of Elections race.
The complaint, which was filed on Friday, names 26 individuals and corporate entities, as well as 10 “John Does” — others who were potentially involved but not yet discovered — for alleged violations of Ohio elections law.
“None of these people have had to face the music because of their actions, other than be publicly identified,” said COAST attorney Christopher P. Finney, who helped file the complaint. “The prior complaint (filed by Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser) was just against Mr. (Tom) Burer and it only dealt with his situation, but this deals with all of the participants in the conspiracy.”
Fairfield residents Tony Steer, Erik Rivera and Steve Barrett are named as the complainants, while included in the list of respondents are former school board member Sharon Ko, who resigned two months ago; the Moms on a Mission political action committee; Citizens to Elect Sharon Ko; and the individual contributors in whose name the illegal contributions were made.
Fairfield City Schools signed a three-year, $1.5 million bus maintenance contract in 2009 with Burer’s company. The FBI unraveled the plan in which Burer secretly funneled approximately $26,000 in campaign funds to the MOMs group through family members and employees of his company in an effort to unseat Arnold Engel, who opposed the unbid bus contract. The money was then given to Ko — who knew the money was coming from Burer — as well as Dan Murray and Mark Morris, who ran for election together as the “Three Good Apples.” Ko resigned Aug. 25.
Burer was sentenced to 60 days in jail as part of his guilty plea to attempted tampering with a campaign finance report. He also was fined the maximum $10,000 by the Ohio Elections Commission.
Phil Richter, the executive director of the Ohio Elections Commission, said he expects the commission to review the complaint at its Nov. 17 meeting.
“We take all those matters seriously and as expeditiously as possible,” said Richter, who said the commission addresses about 1,100 complaints a year. “We don’t get many complaints like this one that mirrors a previous matter that the commission has addressed. Essentially, it’s all those same materials. It just brings in other respondents.”
Once the preliminary review is complete, the commission will determine whether there were any violations. If the commission deems violations were committed, it can impose fines up to $10,000 as well as contact the county prosecutor for possible further action.
“Being that this complaint is based on the prosecutor’s original complaint to the Ohio Elections Commission, I don’t see how any of these people cannot be found guilty,” said Engel, a supporter of the complaint and a former school board member who is running for re-election next month.
“They gave the maximum fine to Tom Burer, and what they said is that they would have fined him more if they could have,” Finney said. “The commission was upset with his conduct, and this gives them an opportunity to exact similar punishment to all of the participants.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or steven.matthews@coxinc.com.
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Tax foes target school boards. Activists run for seats, drum message into voters excerpts
By Michael D. Clark. mclark@enquirer.com The Enquirer 9/27/11
…Area school systems that so far have at least one school board candidate who has publically announced opposing new school taxes include Lakota and Fairfield schools in Butler County; Sycamore and Northwest in Hamilton County; and Lebanon and Springboro in Warren County.
…”Given the current economy and the increasing cost of services, it is not surprising that more fiscal conservatives are seeking seats … on school boards to try to control costs to the tax-paying public,” says Damon Asbury, director of legislative services for the Ohio School Board Association.
…In November 2007, anti-school tax activists were elected for the first time to school boards in Mason, Monroe, Northwest and Little Miami.
…Blue Ash resident Colleen Greissinger, running her first campaign for the Sycamore Schools board, says, “I finally reached the tipping point.”
“I’m, a very strong fiscal conservative, and I believe in limited government and finally the word is getting out to the community that the schools and their unions are out of control with their wasteful spending,” says the retired registered nurse.
Greissinger knows if she wins seat on the Sycamore school board she may be a lone voice on the five-member board until fall of 2013 – the next board election.
“I will be a voice, and I will stand alone and take the heat. We need to start at the local government level and will trickle up,” she predicts.
“And hopefully in two years, some more people will join me on the board.”
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So far, three Sycamore Board of Education candidates vie for two open seats. They are incumbents Kenneth Richter, Jill Cole and newcomer Colleen Greissinger. The petition filing date with the Hamilton County Board of Election is August 10th. 6/29/11
Update: Cole, Richter won
http://www.ohioschoolboards.org/candidate-for-school-boards
E N Q U I R E R L O C A L N E W S C O V E R A G E
Saturday, October 16, 1999School boards: a slice of pure democracy
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Plentiful races draw intense, very local interest
BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer From questions about Ohio’s system of proficiency testing to complaints that a board fails to communicate — plus the ever-present queries about where the dollars go — voters fling a spectrum of issues at school board candidates.
And, as the people who pay the tax money that school boards control, voters can be tough to placate.
“I didn’t hear any answers that satisfied me,” said Deb Gurke of Montgomery, after a forum for Sycamore school board candidates. “I’m eager to hear what candidates say about proficiency tests…. (The tests) seem to be becoming a goal instead of a tool — that’s very worrisome to me.”
The Nov. 2 ballot is flush with school board races, following the odd-numbered year election cycle. They are a piece of American politics that comes close to pure democracy: There are no party affiliations; just about any adult can run; and low-key, low-cost campaigning often wins an election.
Still, while some voters would confess to having no clue what a school board does, the races can generate strong emotions. Taxpayers — those with and without children in the classrooms — worry about who sits on a board that shapes education and a district’s property values.
Some races overflow with candidates: Princeton has nine candidates running for three seats; St. Bernard-Elmwood Place has eight for three seats. A few districts fill seats unopposed.
Ohio school board elections are held in odd-numbered years, per state law, and members serve four-year, staggered terms. On a five-member board, the usual pattern puts two members up for re-election this year with three members on the ballot in the next cycle. (Board members appointed to fill an unexpired term must run in the next general election after the appointment.)
There are no qualifications required of school board candidates, other than living in the district where running. School boards set district policy and hire — and fire — the superintendent and treasurer. The superintendent oversees the district’s daily operation.
“The role of the school board member is to see that a district is well run — not to run the school district,” said Pam Boedeker of Anderson Township, a Forest Hills board member campaigning for a third term. “There’s a fine line between what an administrator’s responsibilities are and a board member’s responsibilities are.”
It takes about a year for a board member to feel comfortable in the position, Ms. Boedeker said.
“Frequently, they are surprised in terms of the amount of time it takes (to do the job), and to find their niche and to understand what the role is,” she said.
School board races often draw people who are newcomers to public office and typically “are not high-spending, high-energy elections,” said John Brandt, executive director of the Ohio School Boards Association, which holds orientation sessions for candidates to acquaint them with the laws and ethics of school boards.
“Some candidates spend virtually nothing…. It’s essentially a volunteer job,” Mr. Brandt said. “They do the yard signs, knocking on doors.”
Wherever parents gather, “that’s where we like to be,” said Monay Mack, a first-time candidate for the Princeton school board.
“We’ve created fliers and are passing them out door to door. We go to football games, PTA meetings, candidates forums. We’ve been visiting schools,” Mr. Mack said.
But although the concerns of voters are varied, those voicing them often are a small group, candidates said.
“We visit every PTA meeting we can get to. But, sadly, if you take away friends and family of the candidates, there are maybe 20 people there,” said Paul Kattelman, of Sharonville, also running for the Prince ton board.
A campaign Web site created by Mr. Kattelman features information on his candidacy and two other Princeton candidates he’s teaming with. It’s attracting readers, he said, and offers another way to reach residents.
Election time, voters say, gives them more of an opportunity to question board members than trying to get answers during busy monthly meetings. Complaints are frequent — and aimed at many school boards — that discussion with residents is poor.
“We have a gap in communication. The school board decides something, and we find out too late to have input,” said Ginger Shaver, of Montgomery, who attends Sycamore board meetings and reports on them to PTAs. “We have a community of very intellectual constituents…. The day after the board meeting, people are all asking me what happened…. We know what’s happening in your school … but there’s not enough meat and potatoes of the school district’s business.”
Communication with residents “is an extraordinary tough and emotional position to be attached to. It’s very hard to do,” acknowledges John Britton, a parent from Montgomery, in the Sycamore district. But community-minded residents demand it because, “schools are such a big part of the attraction of Montgomery. The schools are our crown jewel,” he said.
When voting for school board members, Mr. Britton is inclined “to vote for new people,” he said.
“I like people who are willing to get in and rock the boat a bit,” he said. “There’s a limit to new ideas from the same people. That why they change CEOs of big companies after awhile.”