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March 25, 2026

To the Editor:

Our community recently entrusted the School Board with $130 million to build a future for our students. This is the largest financial investment in our town’s history. However, at the March 23rd meeting, I raised a serious concern that should give every taxpayer pause: Is the Board managing this transition with the “prudence” the law requires?

Ohio Law protects school board members from personal liability only if they act as a “reasonably prudent person” would—someone who is wise, cautious, and avoids foreseeable risks. Swapping the leadership of our 7-8 and K-6 buildings at the exact moment they are consolidating into a 7-12 merger is the opposite of caution. It is a gamble.

Scholarly research in Leadership and Policy in Schools shows that such administrative “churn” leads to a 17% increase in teacher turnover and a measurable decline in student safety. Why would we intentionally trigger these risks during our most volatile transition year?

We have seen this “subjective” approach fail before. In 2021, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission found “Probable Cause” against Sidney City Schools for making subjective staffing moves during a reorganization. By moving an elementary expert into a high school role without an objective, data-backed necessity, our Board is walking into that same legal trap.

A “prudent” person doesn’t swap pilots while the plane is landing on a brand-new runway. I am asking the Board to prioritize stability over administrative preference. Let our principals lead the students they know into the buildings we just paid for. Our $130 million investment—and our students’ stability—deserves nothing less than professional, objective, and prudent leadership.

Sincerely,

John Contreras