Lebanon City Schools board accepts Michelle Berry's resignation, sets one-week application window to fill vacancy

The Lebanon City Schools Board of Education on May 20 accepted the resignation of board member Michelle Berry, effective May 15, and approved a process to fill the resulting vacancy under board policy 0145.

The presiding officer moved to accept Berry’s resignation and later requested a motion to establish the vacancy-filling process; both motions were seconded and approved by roll call. "We do appreciate Michelle's time on the board, but she did choose to resign effective on May 15," the presiding officer said during the vote.

Superintendent Isaac (identified in the meeting as Isaac) explained the statutory and policy timeline the board must follow: the board cannot appoint a replacement within the first 10 days after accepting the resignation but must fill the seat before 30 days elapse or the vacancy could be referred to the county probate/common pleas court. Isaac said administrators consulted the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) and the board attorney and recommended a transparent process carried out in open session with candidate review handled as permitted by law.

Board members agreed on outreach and logistics. Isaac described planned publication methods — the district website, social media and a notice in the Dayton Daily News — and proposed adapting the OSBA application and toolkit for local use. The board discussed the length of the application window and settled on a short timeframe (the transcript references a one-week window with a Tuesday deadline as phrased during the meeting). Isaac confirmed the district would accept applications by email to the board office and would share applicant materials with the board for review.

Members raised procedural questions about how applicant interviews and deliberations would be handled. Board member Sievers asked whether applicant review could occur in executive session; Isaac said he would confirm with the board attorney but indicated that considering the appointment of a public official can be discussed in executive session while the public process and selection criteria must be transparent in open session.

The board also discussed interview questions and said it would review OSBA’s recommended questions and reduce or tailor them (several members expressed concern that the full set of 18 questions could deter applicants). Isaac and staff will circulate a draft application and question list to the board for input before publishing the vacancy notice and opening the application window.

What happens next: the district will publish the vacancy and the application form, accept applications by the agreed deadline, share submissions with the board, and schedule candidate review and interviews in accordance with the law and the board's timeline. The board expects to appoint a member prior to the June 17 board meeting if the process and timeline proceed as discussed.