Last Monday, however, there was discussion but all of it one-sided as speakers told the board they objected to the action last month but with no comment from the board.
Several speakers called for the board to reconsider its vote with one saying he understood that a complaint has been filed with the Human Rights Commission to get an investigation into the reason for the non-hiring.
One of several speakers on the topic of the non-hiring was Patrick Meade, who is employed by Butler Tech to work with Talawanda students.
“This has struck a chord in our community, which does not like to see injustices done. This is a young man who spent two years preparing for the Civil Service test and no one has a bad thing to say about him,” Meade said. “It makes you wonder.”
He said such a vote with no discussion following an executive session leaves the public open to all kinds of speculation, including whether the action was based on race.
He asked the board if the vote against hiring Katto was a statement against Superintendent Kelly Spivey, the district’s human relations department and Kramer Principal Jason Merz, all of whom recommended the hiring. He said the board’s ethics through the Ohio School Boards Association calls for hiring to be delegated to the administration.
“This seems like micromanaging,” he said.
Noting that Katto had worked in the past at a firm in which Board President Mark Butterfield had a financial interest, Meade said that if he had some reason to not approve the hiring by the district, he should have recused himself from the vote to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
“This is an injustice against a qualified, recommended and approved candidate,” Meade said.”I think the school board should follow its own code of ethics and offer the job to Kester tonight.”
Applause erupted from the audience after several other comments from the crowd that had gathered.
Marie Meade, who said she is a Talawanda graduate, said Katto has worked for the district as a substitute custodian at Marshall School, drawing praise for his work there. She said a board’s refusal to hire someone recommended by the administration has not happened in at least 15 years and she read the text of an email from a Marshall teacher praising his work there.
“I think people should be asking questions. I think we deserve to know,” Meade said of the vote last month. “We want answers. We want the truth.”
That message from the Marshall teacher read in full:
“WOW! For the first time I can remember since Ray went on sick leave my room is really-really clean! The floor finally got swept-mopped and my room is really clean! It hasn’t been done like this in a long time so mega thanks to the person who was here on Friday. This is definitely a huge difference and anyone can notice. Yes, my trash only gets emptied when this person works. Please take note of this individual’s effort and superior job!”
Jessica Pechan, another Talawanda graduate and district parent, said Katto’s current employer, Shademaker’s, gave him a strong letter of recommendation, praising his work ethic and strong character.
“It is clear Kester would have been a strong addition to the staff,” she said.
Mary Karrow, a retired Kramer teacher, read a letter from Pam Termeer, another retired teacher who worked with Katto for two years to prepare him for the Civil Service test for the job. Karrow said Termeer was listed as a reference but was never contacted by the district about him.
In her letter, Termeer said of him, “He has a great personality, is a hard worker and his current employer said he’s one of the best employees he has ever had.”
Karrow followed up the reading of that letter by saying, “I think Kramer School will really need him over the next four years. It’s hard to do the right thing, but I think this is an easy fix. He would be a wonderful addition.”
Another speaker read a letter from Sharon Hornfeck who hired Katto to take care of her son’s home during his service in the U.S. Navy. In the letter, she praised the quality of Katto’s work and said she was “outraged” by the 3-2 vote against hiring him to the custodian’s job.
Wendy Cagwin, a district resident, asked the board to reconsider the action on the hiring last month.
“Kester followed all the rules. I am struggling to understand why the board did not follow the recommendation of the administration. It’s very rare for a board to not accept a recommendation of the superintendent, “ Cagwin said. “Thank you to Mr. Crowder and Mr. Smith for voting for Kester. You have my sincere respect.”
The board did not respond to any of the public comments.
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