MEDINA: The remaining two school board members who upset the community by approving a generous contract for former Superintendent Randy Stepp have announced plans to step down.
Board President Karla Robinson and Vice President Susan Vlcek issued statements Wednesday detailing their plans to resign next year.
They noted the “crucial decisions” made in response to public outcry over Stepp’s contract, renegotiated this year to include an $83,000 retention bonus in a district that has not passed an operating levy since 2005.
Prompted by legal counsel, the board placed Stepp on administrative leave, rescinded his contract and launched an investigation with the state auditor’s office over money spent by the superintendent without board approval. The results of that investigation are still pending.
The board rescinded Stepp’s contract by admitting that it was passed while skirting Ohio’s open meetings law.
The former superintendent, who is now suing the district, agreed to pay back the bonus before being released.
Amid public outcry over Stepp’s contract perks that included the paying of tens of thousands in student loans, school board members opted to withdraw a levy request from the May ballot. The 5.9-mill request is now slated for a public vote Nov. 5.
Charles Freeman, who was board president when the contract was approved, resigned this year. Board member Bill Grenfell already announced that he will not seek re-election Nov. 5.
In January 2014, with a majority turnover on the board, Vlcek announced that she will also step down. Robinson will follow suit in May. Both were elected to four-year terms in 2011.
Their departures come “with the full support” of newly hired Superintendent Dave Knight.
Robinson, who coordinated legal matters for the board, said she was urged by administrative staff to stay on. She said she was “blindsided” by the controversy when favorable aspects of Stepp’s five-year contract, which included a fund to pay $265,000 in college expenses, surfaced after the Medina teachers union began asking questions. The union announced its findings on the same day it ratified a two-year contract, making concessions to curb a budget shortfall.
“This past year has been incredibly challenging for the Medina Board of Education,” Robinson said in a prepared statement. “I am very sorry for every mistake I’ve made as a board member.
“We want to responsibly transition to a new board, giving our superintendent, treasurer, and administrative team the best possible situation going forward.”
Vlcek also encouraged the public to support the students and the school on Nov. 5 despite the controversy.
“I share your frustration with the ongoing legal battle, and could not be more regretful and sorry to be part of any decision that draws one moment of focus away from the great work going on in our schools every day. We as a board have learned much from our mistakes, and have implemented changes that will make the district stronger as we go forward,” Vlcek said.
All board members who renegotiated Stepp’s contract, two years before the contract’s expiration, will have been replaced with Robinson’s departure.
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.