Whitehall school board rescinds December vote not to extend superintendent contract
The Whitehall Board of Education has voted to rescind its Dec. 14 decision not to renew Superintendent Sharee Wells' contract at the end of this school year so members can talk more about it.
By a 3-2 vote, new board member Lorena Lacey cast the deciding vote Thursday to reconsider the board's prior decision after saying that she would bring up the issue at the meeting. Many of the more than 50 people in attendance at Whitehall-Yearling High School were there to support Wells.
"Now we have an opportunity to have a full conversation," Lacey said after the vote.
On Dec. 14, the board voted 3-2 not to extend the contract with Wells, who was hired in 2021 and entered into contract to be superintendent beginning Jan. 1, 2022, with the contract expiring July 31, 2024. The superintendent's contract was not on the original December agenda and the vote was taken after an executive session.
That night, board members Michael Adkins, Zach Wright and Jeff Lees voted not to extend her contract. But Lacey was elected in November and replaced Lees on the five-member board.
Following a half-hour executive session on Thursday, Lacey voted with board member Darryl Hammock, who was elected as board president, and board member Jayne Shannon to remove the Dec. 14 vote. Adkins and Wright voted against the motion.
"We are committed to being transparent and accountable," Lacey said.
Shannon also mentioned that the board was trying to be more transparent as she made the motion to remove the Dec. 14 vote on Wells.
"This is very important. We don’t take it lightly," Shannon said.
Hammock said the decision gives board members more time to discuss Wells' future and to collect more information. The next board meeting is Jan. 25.
After the board adjourned, Wells said, "I look forward to continuing to serve our district and our students."
Both Hammock and Lacey said they support the work Wells has been doing.
"I personally think that she's done a phenomenal job in this community," Lacey said.
Thursday's vote came after community concern over the way the December vote played out.
An Ohio group called Open Government Advocates sued the Whitehall school board on Dec. 28 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, claiming the school board did not post notices for 19 special meetings in 2022 and 2023. The suit did not list the Dec. 14 meeting.
Before the board went into executive session Thursday, Linnae Boyer, a parent of five in the district, asked the board to reopen the public participation section of the meeting so she and others could speak about Wells and the board's decision in December.
"I really would like there to be a point of discussion why Wells' contract was not renewed," Boyer said, and why the vote was taken the way it was.
After she spoke before the board, Boyer told The Dispatch that Wells has worked hard to improve communications with parents.
"I like what she's been doing. She shows up," Boyer said.
"I want our school board to do the right thing."
Four more people in the audience spoke, including Aric Terford, who called Wells an asset and stabilizing individual for the school district, and 10-year-old King Pettiford, a fifth-grader who credited Wells for bringing his grades up.
mferench@dispatch.com
@MarkFerenchik
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Whitehall superintendent be kept on? School board to discuss
