Censure Conversation Dominates Francis Howell BOE Meeting

Forty minutes were needed to approve the agenda for Thursday’s Francis Howell Board of Education meeting. Just 55 minutes were needed to complete the rest of the meeting.

Ordinarily the approval of the agenda for the night’s meeting is a simple procedure. That wasn’t the case with the Board of Education on Thursday. Item 9-B, one of the last items on the agenda, contained two motions both dealing with censures to board members. 

Board Director Amy McEvoy brought up the charges.

Her first motion read:

“I move to censure the action of Mark Lafata based upon his recent conduct toward district employees at the February 17, 2011 Francis Howell Board of Education meeting.”

The second motion read:

“I move to censure the action of Mike Hoehn and Steve Johnson based upon their recent conduct toward district employees regarding how the district was handling communications on the district website. This incident took place in the office of the Superintendent of Schools along with another district employee. The Board member present that witnessed raised voices was Marty Hodits.”

Board Director Marty Hoditis motioned to amend the agenda to take the censure discussion off Thursday’s agenda and move it to the March 31, 2011 meeting.

Fellow Board Directors Mark Lafata and Cynthia Bice agreed that the censure discussion should take place at a later date.

“I’m angry that this is taking up so much time this week,” Bice said. “I’m disappointed in our entire board. … I think it smells like politics.”

The motion was just to amend the agenda, however, that didn't stop several Board members from discussing the actual charges.

“There’s very little truth that is associated with this made-for-TV drama,” Lafata said. “… I have a hard time even wasting my time on something that is prepared that has very little truth to it.”

McEvoy responded to questions about the necessity of the charges.

“It has torn me up,” she said.  “… I feel I have a duty and a responsibility to the people in our school district. I was appalled but what I saw.”

Later she responded to Lafata’s assertion that the report wasn’t true.

“I do not lie,” McEvoy said.

The discussion went back-and-forth with both sides debating the censures and not the amendment to move the discussion. Lafata said he wasn’t called about any of the accusations. Lafata claimed he hasn't been called in nearly two years by most members of the Board.

“The phone calls aren’t happening because they don’t want to be cursed at like you did to me,” Board President Mike Sommer said.

The amendment finally came up to vote and was shot down with a 3-4 vote.

McEvoy, however, then made another amendment request to push back the discussion to a special meeting at a later date, but before March 31.

After a few minutes of debate about what exactly the amendment should say, the Board went for vote No. 2. Sommer said he didn’t want to push it back because all seven members of the Board were there and ready to discuss the censures. His opposition didn’t matter. Hoditis, McEvoy, Lafata and Bice voted to hold the censure discussion at a later date and the censure discussion was taken off the agenda for Thursday's meeting.

The Board could not reach a conclusion on what date the special meeting occur. Board Secretary Patty Knight was tasked with organizing the board to pick a special meeting date that has to be agreed upon by all seven Board members and take place before March 31.

Following the agenda discussion, the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch. All new business passed with a 7-0. The Board voted to approve new purchases and the E-Rate grant application.

The next scheduled Board of Education meeting is March 31, 2011. A Meet the Candidates night will take place at the Francis Howell Central Administration building. The forum will begin at 7 p.m.