PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Dozens of parents and community members packed the Riverside Local Schools high school field house for a rare Monday afternoon board meeting as the district moves forward with terminating its superintendent.
"Not what my schedule would typically allow, but I would rearrange any schedule to be another voice in the community, another body in the stands," said Megan Balaban, a mother of four who attended the meeting.
The school board is advancing the termination process against Superintendent Christopher Rateno, who some board members believe has not performed his duties adequately. According to the board's president, his last two performance reviews were unsatisfactory, something the superintendent has vehemently denied in the past.
The termination process has drawn sharp criticism from newly elected board members who will take office soon.
"There were 72 charges against him, 71 of which are legal jargon,” said Joe Audion, a newly elected school board member. "This was nothing more than a witch hunt in my opinion."
Since the process started, two school board members have been voted out of office.
Minutes after the meeting started, the three board members present went into an executive session. They returned shortly after to announce that a termination hearing for the superintendent has been set for next month and that an interim superintendent has been named.
Another contentious issue involves the board's motion to move millions from the general fund to the permanent improvement fund.
"The teacher's union filed an injunction to have a restraining order against the movement of 4.6 million dollars from the general fund to the PI fund, permanent improvement fund, so that judge blocks that movement," said Jimmielee Vires, another newly elected school board member.
A hearing on that matter is scheduled for Tuesday.
Board President Scott Fishel acknowledged the community backlash but defended the board's actions.
"People have different ideas and opinions, and certainly everyone’s welcome to speak out in the way they want to speak out. All opinions obviously are welcome to the point of doing it in a way that’s reasonable," Fishel said.
One school board meeting remains this year, scheduled for Thursday. A large crowd is expected to attend.
