Brian Massie, citizen journalist September 29, 2022
Updated with Mary Bryner video discussing Mentor’s policy on video recordings.
Updated with Virginia Jeschelnig video debating the public comments.
Updated with OSBA’s wisdom of 5-0 votes on tax levies, and minority being huge cheerleaders for majority on issues with split votes. 10/4/22
We attended the Mentor School Board rescheduled “Retreat” on September 28, 2022. The taxpayers look forward to Superintendent Craig Heath and Treasurer Bill Wade working with the Board to ensure that their policies comply with the State of Ohio Sunshine laws and the OSBA’s best practices.
This was a “do over” since the Board “retreated” from public view when citizens insisted on recording their first public meeting.
The Board received a two hour lecture from the Ohio School Board Association’s Director of Board and Management Services, Ms. Cheryl Ryan, on “Good Boardmanship”.
Here is an article we published after a little research into the OSBA.
Here is the 2.5 hour video for you to watch (hopefully, with some strong coffee at hand). We will be working on a shorter videos that will contain our editorial comments on the deceptions and betrayals that were obvious to us. So stay tuned…
Update #1 – Board President Mary Byner discusses the Board’s video policy.
Here is short video featuring Mentor School Board President Mary Bryner explaining the Board policy on video recording. Mary admits that they have been violating the law for the past 15 years. We do not agree with the Board’s position that they can require pre-approval of any video recordings of their public meetings. It is our hope that Superintendent Craig Heath gets his wish and the “pre-approval” requirements is dropped from the Board’s policy. Total transparency is the key to good governance.
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Here is the case law mentioned in the Sunshine Law manual dealing with audio and video recordings.
1030 McVey v. Carthage Twp. Trustees, 4th Dist. Athens No. 04CA44, 2005-Ohio-2869, ¶¶ 14-15 (finding trustees violated R.C. 121.22 by banning
videotaping).
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Update #2 – Virginia Jeschelnig wants to restrict the public from commenting at meetings.
In the following video, Board Member Virginia E. Jeschelnig, debates Annie Payne and Tom Tuttle about reducing, or restricting public comments so that the Board can work on important matters. Ms. Jeschelnig fails to realize that the taxpayers are paying for the majority of the school’s operating expenses, and must be given the opportunity to express themselves without disrupting the meeting.
Update #3 – OSBA Representative Stresses the Need for 5-0 on Property Tax Levies and how the minority should be “huge cheerleaders” for the majority on issues with split votes of 4-1 or 3-2.
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