Wednesday, February 09, 2000
Monroe school board names given
State would make choice if split OK'd
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
FAIRFIELD — The names of seven applicants will be sent to the state school board as candidates for five seats on the proposed Monroe Local Board of Education.
All five members of Monroe's Executive Committee, plus two candidates who have been working with the committee as it plans for the new district, were forwarded to Co lumbus by the governing board of the Butler County Educational Services Center (ESC). It unanimously approved all seven applicants Monday.
Under Ohio law, the state board would make the appointments to the Monroe Board of Education if Monroe voters on March 7 approve a new district, split from the Middletown/Monroe Schools.
The state board had asked for 15 names from the ESC board, following its policy of reviewing three candidates for each open board seat. It agreed to accept fewer candidates because of the unusual situation of naming an entire board, not just one or two members, said Dan Hare, ESC superintendent.
Nevertheless, some ESC board members expressed reservations about forwarding the name of one candidate — William R. “Rocky” Heflin — to the state board because of a possible conflict of interest due to Mr. Heflin's job. He is a teacher at Verity Middle School.
“I see it as a potential problem,” said ESC board member Mary Pritchard, who has attended most of Monroe's meetings as its executive and other committees make plans for the proposed district. “It's not because he's not a good board member — he is.”
Mr. Hare said he had checked with Ohio Department of Education lawyers and had been told that if Mr. Heflin were to become an employee of the new district, he could not also serve on its school board.
Along with forwarding the names, resumes and applications of the seven candidates, the ESC board also will include a letter that asks whether some ESC members can be present when the state board's executive committee discusses the candidates before making a recommendation to the full state board.
Mr. Hare said he would ask the state board to appoint the Monroe board at its March 7 meeting contingent on voters approving creation of the district at the polls that day. He reminded ESC board members that the state board could opt to reject the recommendations of the county board and appoint other people to the Monroe board.
Members of the Monroe board would serve through 2001 until a permanent board — elected by voters in November 2001 — could take office Jan. 1, 2002, Mr. Hare said.
The seven applicants being forwarded to the state school board are:
• Carol Brotherton, Executive Committee; and member of the Middletown/Monroe Board of Education.
• Suzi Rubin, Executive Committee; founding member and spokeswoman for the Committee on Reviewing Education.
• John F. Birch, Executive Committee, adjunct professor at Miami University's Middletown Campus.
• Mr. Heflin, Executive Committee; teacher at Verity Middle School and past principal at Lemon-Monroe High School.
• Jamie Pierce, Executive Committee; software development manager for NCR Corp.
• Tim Birdwell, member of Monroe's Transition Team; manager, X-ray technician for General Electric Aircraft Engines.
• Steven Campbell, chairman of the Monroe school group's Finance Committee; vice president for operations for ITO/Campbell Consulting.
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