Taxpayers Have Paid $178,964.82 in Defense Against Board Member Rod Armstrongs Lawsuits

I believe the Stow Munroe Falls Board of Education is on the verge of complete dysfunction, which will undermine its ability to serve our students if immediate changes are not made.  The apparent acrimony among board members is directly linked to the litigation brought against several board members and the chief fiscal officer by its own member, Rod Armstrong, over the last two years.   

Public records show Armstrong’s lawsuits have cost taxpayers nearly $179,000 as of March 31, 2014, and will inevitably continue to climb. We can expect fees to skyrocket if these suits go to trial. The school district had little choice but to defend against Armstrong’s allegations. Money aside, there is a deeper cost the community is paying.  We do not have a school board operating as a cohesive team which is focused on the educational needs of the community they serve. How could a board of elected officials function properly when they are also defendants in lawsuits brought by Armstrong?    

We have five duly elected school board members. Three of them seem to grasp the importance of finding the best path to educate our students in order to be competitive in a global economy. A fourth member was recently elected, and we can only hope she will discover criticism is more helpful when accompanied by a helpful solution. And then there’s Armstrong, whom I believe conducts himself in a defensive, distracted and hostile manner.  

Armstrong should resign and allow the school board to appoint someone willing to help move the district in a more positive direction. He could then, without the distraction of being a school board member, pursue his anti-board of education lawsuits.   If he wins he can run as the knight in shining armor candidate who saved us from ruin.  If he loses he can fade quietly into oblivion and be remembered as another elected official who soothed his ego with our money and gave us nothing in return.  Unfortunately, the taxpayers will still bear the cost of his litigation, but at least we could look forward to having a proactive board of education that is interested in serving our children.  By the way – thank you Mr. Bonacci, Mrs. Powers and Mrs Matthews for approving all-day kindergarten.   It may take a few years to see the benefit but the students will be better prepared to work in a global marketplace