Richmond Heights board may dangle Pingle tonight Also: FitzGerald Town Hall meeting tomorrow; African American Museum talent show audtions; Civic Commons Commentary; County Prosecutor endorsement alert

Richmond Heights board may dangle Pingle tonight

Also: FitzGerald Town Hall meeting tomorrow; African American Museum talent show audtions; Civic Commons Commentary; County Prosecutor endorsement alert.

Tonight’s special Richmond Heights school board special meeting to decide the fate of suspended high school principal Timothy Pingle will take place without one of the key protagonists — board member Josh Kaye.

Four days after voting not to renew the contract of suspended Richmond Heights Schools Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick when it expires on July 31, the district’s school board meets tonight in special session, this time to consider firing Dr. Pingle.

Pingle was suspended December 12 after interim superintendent Robert Moore accused Pingle of unprofessional conduct. The charge appears to have been made after Dr. Moore obtained a copy of a December 3 email from Pingle to Josh Kaye in which Pingle questioned Moore’s qualifications to be superintendent. 

Following his suspension, Pingle claimed to have been set up by Kaye, used as a pawn in an attempt to undermine Hardwick, and falsely accused of manifesting racist attitudes. Pingle claims to have questioned Moore’s appointment only in response to Kaye’s alleged confidential disclosure that Moore was being selected for racially motivated political reasons.

Kaye and Pingle are white, Moore and Hardwick are black. Pingle has claimed that Kaye told him that Moore was being hired as interim superintendent so that he Kaye, would have a defense to being accused of racism.

Kaye’s absence from tonight’s meeting — he is out of state on business — suggests that the Board is unlikely to terminate Pingle this evening. The underlying charge against him appears flimsy to begin with and points to the deeper issues confronting how the district’s schools have been run for years, with board members routinely exchanging private emails with school administrators and having clandestine phone calls that have nothing to do with educational policies.

The whole situation is rife with hypocrisy on many levels. Under the Kaye regime — which ended when a new president was elected at last month’s organizational meeting following the November election — several board members routinely interacted inappropriately with various central office personnel and others, most often to undermine Superintendent Hardwick and to advance other agendas unrelated to the education of the district’s children.

In the midst of ongoing controversies — the Popp incident, ongoing federal and state investigations, to name only two— Hardwick’s alleged handover of these inappropriate emails to investigators led to both her and clerk-typist Peggy Parker being accused of theft.

The result has been a district accelerating into chaos, with only the district’s attorneys benefiting to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Irrespective of the results of the findings from the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Division, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and possibly the Ohio Department of Education, the district is likely to face litigation from Hardwick, Parker, Pingle and others over numerous personnel decisions during the Kaye administration.

The challenge before the board, and by that I mean principally its new majority of president Linda Pliodzinskas, vice president Bobby Jordan, and newly-elected Frank Barber, is to find a way to end years of destructive official behavior, repair relations with a  teachers union that is both hostile to the district and intimidated by its own leadership, and then regain the confidence of the district’s voters.

Race has of course been a volatile factor in the Richmond Heights school district for some time. Charges of racism have sometimes swirled about irresponsibly, even as on other occasions clear evidence of racist behaviors have been overlooked or worse, defended as appropriate. But we must comment on the irony of the interim superintendent taking offense at an underling’s questioning of his qualifications and attributing the challenge to a racist attitude. It was, after all, Dr. Moore, who shuffled his feet and looked the other way when first students and then parents implored him to assist them in addressing the clearly hostile racial environment created by then-boys basketball coach Jason Popp during the 2010-11 season. Astonishingly, Moore earlier this month recommended that Popp be given a contract to coach the boys' track team. [Moore has reportedly applied to be superintendent in the neighboring South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District.]

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County Executive Ed FitzGerald will host another in his series of district Town Hall meetings tomorrow night in Cleveland Heights. The meeting begins at 7PM at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, One Monticello Blvd at the corner of Mayfield Rd.

The meeting is free and open to all. Near public transportation. Handicap accessible. FitzGerald will make a presentation to the residents and then engage in a question and answer session.

Cleveland Heights is in District 10, along with East Cleveland, and Cleveland wards 10 and 11. Julian Rogers is the county councilman.

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Calling budding or accomplished talent

Final auditions  will be this Wednesday, February 29 for the African American Museum’s March 10 talent show. The show will have three contest categories: 11 years and under, 17 years and under, and 18 years and older. Singers, dancers, musicians, lip sync-ers, and those with any special talent are invited to audition for the chance to win prizes that include studio time, a cash award of $250, a laptop computer, and three chances to win an iPad or Kindle.

There is a $10.00 nonrefundable entry fee.

Info: 216.280.0714 or 216.374.2899 or myafricanmuseum@yahoo.com.

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Green Behavior and Black History on tap

Just a reminder to tune into the Civic Commons tomorrow [12:30 pm on 88.7 FM WJCU and 7:30 pm 88.5 FM WYSU] to catch your humble scribe talking about Black History Month. My commentary comes after some especially trenchant criticism from Cleveland city councilman Brian Cummins and others regarding Mayor Frank Jackson’s vaunted sustainability initiatives.

Or, listen on your own time via these links: iTunes    RSS   Stitcher]

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Endorsement for County Prosecutor

The Real Deal has been tracking the county prosecutor’s race for some time. Our early observation about the history of this office — namely, that this is the voters’ first open choice in more than half a century — has been repeated by almost every candidate and countless others. Come on back tomorrow and learn why we think *** is just who the office needs to clean up an office that everyone agrees is in need of major reform.

Richmond Hts school board starts new year; superintendent remains in limbo

A new era should be ushered in this evening when the Richmond Heights Board of Education holds its organizational meeting at 7PM.

Longtime school board member Linda Pliodzinskas is expected to become the new board president, succeeding Josh Kaye, whose presidency was marked by numerous controversies, unusual board turnover, and general tumult. Kaye remains a member of the board as his term has two years remaining.

It is not known when or how the new Board will address the ongoing suspension of Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick, whose contract runs through June 30.

Tonight’s organizational meeting will be followed by a 2013 Tax Budget hearing, expected to begin about 8PM.

Richmond Heights Parents Press School Board for Answers

Our regular readers know that we have been reporting on the Richmond Heights school district since our curiosity took us to a school board meeting there six months ago. It soon became apparent that the rogue behavior of the basketball coach was merely the presenting problem, and that dysfunction in the district was longstanding, systemic, and deeply rooted.

The selfless, courageous and united action of the boys basketball team in demanding the immediate removal of the coach commanded the support of their parents, who then asserted themselves on behalf of their children, and eventually on behalf of all of the children in the system.

The parents won the support of the superintendent quickly enough but were regularly obstructed by a school board majority whose attitudes and actions, both public and private, began to come under the community’s persistent pressure.

The number of concerned parents gradually grew as concerns expanded from the coach’s abuse of his charges to issues of district mismanagement, instability, malfeasance, finance, and, not least, substandard delivery of educational excellence.

Two key developments occurred over the summer. Two of the more active and involved parents — Bobby Jordan and Frank Barber — had applied in April for a vacancy on the school board. The board majority selected Barber, who declined, and ultimately Jordan was awarded the seat.

The first key development was Barber’s subsequent decision to run for a full term. His victory, coupled with Jordan’s election earlier this month to serve the balance of the term to which he was appointed, very likely signals a new day at district headquarters. It is likely that those two will team with the senior board member, Linda Pliodzinskas, to form a new majority that will focus on stabilizing the district, eliminating personality-driven private agendas, and advancing educational goals.

The second key development was the formation of PARENTS 4 KIDS as an advocacy group for children and education. P4K has met several times over the summer and fall. On Monday, in advance of last night’s regularly scheduled board meeting, the group delivered a letter to the president of the school board and the interim superintendent. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Real Deal has obtained a copy of the letter, which runs to three pages of single-spaced copy.

Styled as an open letter to “Parents, School Board Members, Administration, Teachers, and Community”, its stated objective is to “raise awareness among parents and in the Richmond Heights Community as to the grave conditions which have drastically impacted our children’s education.” A request is made for a town hall meeting or community forum with the board “for the purpose of dialogue and interaction pertaining to strategies to both address and overcome every obstacle that has been a hindrance to success for our children.” P4K wants this meeting to occur by December 10 and hopes “to establish mutual purpose, mutual goals, and mutual solutions.”

The letter expresses P4K concerns in three broad categories: Diversity Tolerance, Academics, and Finance. Under Diversity Tolerance, parents express anxiety over the current investigation by the US Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights, which is widely expected to find the district and various parties guilty of discrimination, negligence, and retaliatory conduct. P4K also seeks an update on the Community Building Project initiated by Linda T. Hardwick before her suspension. And, the parents also want answers about the removal of at least eight individuals “who have been non-renewed, forced to leave, fired, or downsized on what appears to be the basis of race or retaliation and even gender in the past three years.”

P4K’s academic concerns include the status of credit recovery and tutoring programs, and how the accreditation process will proceed in the absence of the superintendent who initiated it. A companion concern has to do with the number of middle school students who are without textbooks in some classes, and high school students using books published almost twenty years ago.

The letter also asks “what mechanisms have been put in place to improve the status of ‘Continuous Improvement’ at the elementary school” and how the elevation of the school’s principal to interim superintendent will “impact our struggling elementary students”.

The third area of P4K concern deals with financial and policy matters. Five questions are asked, including:

“• Exactly how much has been spent in legal fees, combating complaints of discrimination, and attempting to justify poor practice of firing Superintendents, and retaliating against student, parents, and administration who speak against it?

• Is it true that RH teachers received a retroactive 2% raise, and will possibly incur an additional raise in the next year? Why is the teacher’s contract unavailable to the public? Why were teachers not asked to make concessions or retain their levels, when the district has said to parents concerning the purchase of books, computers, extra-curricular activities, elective classes, and transportation, there is no money?

• Why were Race to the Top dollars awarded, yet turned down by our school district?”

At Tuesday’s meeting, board president Josh Kaye promised to get back to the parents by Monday on a date for the community forum. He also promised to make the teachers contract available soon.

Richmond Heights Schools update: Interim Superintendent, questions about investigation

The Richmond Heights Board of Education has named elementary school principal Dr. Robert Moore as interim superintendent to replace Dr. Linda T. Hardwick, who was relieved of her duties with pay on November 3.

The school district is investigating allegations supposedly related to the misappropriation of district property.

Local station WKYC-TV 3 has a brief story on its website on last night’s special board meeting. As of 1:30PM today no other local television station had posted a report.

Nature of investigation unclear

Informed parties believe that the “district property” consists of documents that unknown parties may have turned over to the any of numerous federal and state government agencies that have been investigating alleged improprieties at the district.

In other words the investigation may actually be the attempt by the Board to discover the whistle-blower [s] who has exposed various board practices and actions to investigators. This could mean that public resources are being used to uncover protected behavior.

By a 3-2 vote, the district last week fired central office employee, Peggy Parker, an action almost certain to cost the district money, win or lose. Parker is reported to have already filed a complaint with one or more agencies, and a lawsuit is likely being considered as well.

Money for investigation

Richmond Heights taxpayers should ask the board members Josh Kaye, Aaron Burko, and Bob Fox, the three who voted to suspend the superintendent and conduct the investigation, how much they plan to spend on this investigation, who is getting paid to conduct it, and where the money is coming from.

These questions should be posed and answered even though the Board intends to refrain from making any further statements until the investigation is complete.

The next regularly scheduled board meets is Monday, November 21 at 7PM. By that time district residents will have decided whether to retain the only two incumbents, Linda Pliodzinskas and Bobby Jordan, who have tried to check many questionable board policies, and who they want to join or replace them. Bob Fox's term ends December 31 and he chose not to run for a second term.

BREAKING NEWS: Richmond Hts School Board Suspends Superintendent

The Richmond Heights School Board suspended Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick by a 3-2 vote in a special meeting held last night.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the suspension is pursuant to the investigation of an alleged theft of school district records, but some school observers are suggesting that the action relates to the board majority’s desire to terminate Dr. Hardwick’s contract before January 1, 2012 when a new school board will be installed.

Last week the Board fired clerk-typist Peggy Parker in another special meeting. The same board majority found Parker guilty of misappropriation of district property dishonesty, theft of confidential documents and emails, and insubordination. Parker, who reported to both the superintendent and the school treasurer Brenda Brcak, has filed complaints over her dismissal with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the US Department of Education. She has not ruled out further legal action.

None of the three board members who voted to suspend Hardwick are on next week’s ballot. Board president Josh Kaye and Aaron Burko each have two years remaining, while the third Bob Fox chose not to stand for re-election.

Board members Linda Pliodzinskas and Bobby Jordan Jr. voted against the suspension. Pliodzinskas is seeking election to a third term while Jordan, who was appointed in March, is seeking voter approval to complete his term.

Several issues are roiling the Richmond Heights community at present. Two council members on the city council have challenged the tax increase placed on the ballot by their colleagues, pointing out serious lapses in the administration’s fiscal reporting as cited by state auditors.

Meanwhile, school officials await what are likely to be harsh findings from the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, based on complaints filed by school administrators, parents and students. Other investigations, by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the State Department of Education, are also pending.

The school board majority has authorized tens of thousands of dollars in legal expenses aimed at forcing out the superintendent and defending the charges that have piled up against them since early this year.

Calls and emails placed to Mr. Kaye and to Charles Tyler, Sr., the board’s attorney and a former board member himself, had not been returned as of post time.

Hardwick’s indefinite suspension is without pay. When contacted by The Real Deal she declined comment other than to say she was not present when the vote was taken and had not been officially notified of the Board’s action.

We will have a fuller report here before Monday rolls around.

Divided Richmond Heights school board fires another potshot at Superintendent

Hot debate precedes vote not to renew contract

Legal and ethical issues surround pair of 3-2 board decisions to dump supt., hire former board president as legal counsel

In a highly contentious and legally suspect fashion, the Richmond Heights Board of Education voted 3-2 at a 7:30AM special meeting yesterday not to renew the contract of Superintendent Linda T. Hardwick when it expires next year on July 31.

If the board does not offer Dr. Hardwick a new contract, it would continue the revolving door of district leaders that had one teacher in attendance estimate that at least nine superintendents have come and gone during her 20 years in the district, including three in the past four years alone.

Board president Josh Kaye introduced the resolution immediately after the board reconvened following the executive session it had entered as soon as the meeting starting. Only two board members — Bobby Jordan and Linda Pliodzinskas — registered surprise at Kaye’s motion, as did the superintendent, creating an inference that while the issue had not been discussed at the closed door session, the other board members — Aaron Burko and Bob Fox — had been apprised of Kaye’s intent.

Pliodzinskas, the senior member on the board, registered a number of objections to the resolution, especially pertaining to the timing of the resolution and the existence of many issues of much greater urgency.

Board president Kaye, aside from explaining the effect of the resolution, offered no rationale for its support, leaving that task to Burko. Bob Fox joined Kaye and Burko in supporting the motion, with Pliodzinskas and Jordan opposing. Video of the motion, discussion and vote here

Board member Fox then introduced a resolution that the school district add former board president Charles Tyler to its roster of attorneys. Tyler was board president last year when he resigned as a result of a job transfer out of town. 

When asked about his relationship to Tyler, Fox at first downplayed his connection to Tyler before eventually admitting that Tyler had represented Fox’s wife in litigation and was the family attorney. 

Fox defended his recommendation by saying that “the hiring of friends has gone on here forever.” Fox praised Tyler’s legal skills and suggested that Tyler could save the district money on its legal bills. After the meeting, Fox told The Real Deal that the district’s legal bill for the fiscal year ending this month could exceed $200,000.

The debate over Tyler raised questions of ethics, conflict of interest, and public perception. Pliodzinskas and Jordan opposed hiring Tyler at this time, citing ethical and professional concerns, the haste with which the issue was presented, incomplete information, and the departure from board norms in making decisions in June on organizational matters usually resolved in January. 

Jordan's motion to table the hiring of Tyler but his motion was defeated 3-2, as he and Pliodzinskas were on the losing side on all meeting long.

Several legal experts consulted by The Real Deal raised a number of legal questions about the meeting, including the Board’s possible non-compliance with Ohio’s Sunshine Law, with respect both to the adequacy of public notice for the special meeting, and appropriateness of the items presented under “new business”. 

After the meeting, Brenda Brcak, the district's chief financial officer, said that the Lake County News Herald  (an out of county publication) was the district's daily paper of record and that the Sun Messenger was its weekly paper of record. However, the Sun-Messenger did not publish an edition after the meeting was scheduled and it is unknown whether the News Herald published notice of the meeting. Brcak also said the meeting notice was published on the school district's website, but several people, including at least two city officials ,have said they looked at the site but did not see any such notice.

Of possibly greater concern was whether board member Bob Fox had a conflict in proposing and voting for the district to retain an attorney who has represented members of his immediate family.

“The hiring of friends has gone on here forever.”

— board member Bob Fox, in support of his resolution to hire former school board president Charles Tyler, his friend and former family attorney.

The board is scheduled to have yet another special meeting tomorrow night at 6pm to determine formally whether disgraced coach boys basketball coach Jason Popp will be allowed to return next season, or whether the superintendent's recommendation for his successor will be accepted.

* Three short videos on the portion of the meeting covering the discussion of Charles Tyler are being uploaded at Facebook as I post this. Each video carries "RichHts action on ChasTyler" in the title. The links will be posted as soon as they are available. 

Video Links added at 2PM: 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFe9hzNO8cU