Correction:
An earlier version of this article stated that board members did not give a reason in public as to why the meeting was stopped.
Members of the Akron Board of Education abruptly stopped a committee meeting Monday to confer in a back room with an attorney, without calling for an executive session. At the time of the stoppage, board members were discussing a proposal that could result in 285 jobs being cut.
The attorney, Chris Williams with Pepple and Waggoner, said he was concerned that five members of the school board were present for the Finance and Capital Management Committee’s presentation when the committee only has three members. He said he was worried that it could be an illegal meeting because there were enough members present for a quorum.
Williams took that concern privately to Steve Thompson, the district’s chief financial officer and treasurer, who told Committee Chair Job Perry about the issue privately. Board members shared the issue from person to person before Board Member Rene Molenaur, who is not a member of the committee, stood to leave the room. Other board members followed after Board Member Barbara Sykes asked Perry if the group could “stand down” for a few minutes.
Reporters followed board members to the back room, where Williams asked if they wanted to “disclose the contents of my communication with the board, attorney-client communication, privileged communication.”
“Yeah,” Perry said. “We should at this point.”
As Williams explained his concerns related to what public notice was given, Board Chair Diana Autry said it was “not uncommon” for other board members to be present for committee discussions. Williams questioned whether people were participating beyond the committee members.
“It’s a publicly noticed board meeting,” Autry said.
Board Member Barbara Sykes said the meeting was adequately notified.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said, as board members returned to the public meeting. While committee meetings are usually sparsely attended, Monday’s was held in a full room. When they were reseated, Perry said they had to have a discussion about whether they were having an illegal meeting and that counsel advised that they could continue the meeting.
Asking the question publicly about the legality of having more participants “probably would have been the right thing to do,” said Yamini Adkins, executive director for human capital for Akron Public Schools.
Autry said after the meeting that once Williams raised a concern, board members left the room because they were focused on not putting themselves in a position to be sued.
With the district already looking to cut millions of dollars in salaries, Molenaur said, she was concerned that a misstep that led to a lawsuit could cost the district more money, further eating into funds that could be used to educate students.
“We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to do our best,” Molenaur said. “It’s important for us to be our best.”
