School board appointment process questioned by Lazar

Lisa Lazar

Outgoing Greencastle School Board member Lisa Lazar made an emotional farewell to her post on Monday evening.

Moved almost to tears at times, Lazar expressed her pride at four years of work on the school board while also questioning the process by which board members are chosen.

“This really hurts. I want some of you in here to know how honored I’ve been to be on the board,” Lazar said. “I’m proud of the things we’ve done. However, in going through this process I feel that you should be educated and understand.

“I feel like I’ve been fired for nothing based on the opinions of those who make this election.”

Lazar was referring to the Greencastle City Council decision to appoint Lisa McCoy to a four-year term on the school board. The other two applicants for the position were Lazar and Valerie Rudolph.

All five positions on the Greencastle school board are appointed — two by the City Council, two by the Greencastle Township trustee and one by the Madison Township trustee.

Lazar said she liked being an appointed member, saying she is not a political person and therefore might not have run for a publicly-elected office.

“The drawback of being on an appointed board, I found out two weeks ago,” Lazar said.

Lazar questioned the timing and planning of the council in making the appointment. With two positions it appoints, the council appoints a member every two years.

“The date was not set, even though they knew the term was up every two years,” Lazar said.

Instead, she said she was given a call to set up an interview less than one week before the appointment was to be made. Upon arriving at the interview, Lazar said she was even less pleased.

“It became very accusatory and, I felt, unfair,” Lazar said, adding that she felt the council members had already made a decision to change course.

In her comments, Lazar was careful not to be critical of McCoy.

“I’m happy for her,” Lazar said. “But my understanding is that before the meeting there was a roughly 10-minute pow-wow.”

City Councilman Steve Fields, who was at the school board meeting Monday, said there was no such pre-meeting discussion.

Besides this, Fields, who made the June 14 motion to appoint McCoy, said he would let his comments from that evening stand. Among these was a stated desire for change and a more transparent school board.

“I came in, quite frankly, thinking we needed a change,” Fields said that evening. “I’m looking for a more open school board, and I feel she (McCoy) will lead the school board in that direction.”

However, Lazar was adamant in her defense of the board’s openness, saying it has cut down on the number of executive sessions it conducts during the last four years, adding that even in executive session, there is an attorney present who keeps them on accepted topics.

She also pointed out the number of special public hearings they’ve hosted in the process of hiring new administrators.

“Our city council members who appoint school board members were not in attendance,” Lazar said.

Lazar questioned the city council’s knowledge in light of its appointing authority.

“They made a decision based on what they felt and not being educated on what the roles and responsibilities of a school board are,” Lazar said.

School Board president Mike White stopped Lazar short when she began to make a statement about the next set of city elections, which will be in 2019.

Lazar gathered herself and simply said, “I would appreciate if they (council members) take the time to educate themselves about the role of a school board member.”

Earlier in the meeting, fellow board members and Superintendent Jeff Hubble had taken a few moments to thank Lazar for her time on the board.

“I want to thank you for the last four years of service with the board,” White said. “It’s been a pleasure working with you. We’ve accomplished several good things as a board.”

Hubble echoed White’s sentiments before presenting Lazar with a golden pass — a lifetime pass to Greencastle School Corporation events.

Finally, board member Dale Pierce thanked Lazar for perhaps keeping him in touch with younger generations.

“As the old man of the board, I’ve learned a lot from you,” Pierce said.

McCoy isn’t the only new face on the board. Earlier this year, Brian Cox beat out McCoy for a mid-term appointment made by the board itself following the resignation of Denise Sigworth.

All five members of the Greencastle School Board are appointed with the City Council appointing the seats now held by McCoy and Cox, the Greencastle Township Trustee appointing White and Bill Tobin and the Madison Township Trustee appointing Pierce.