Four file for school board opening; Nov. 7 interviews to be public

The Oberlin school board will hold a special meeting Saturday to conduct interviews of candidates seeking to fill a two-year vacancy on the board.

Board president Beth Weiss said the special meeting will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Langston Middle School cafeteria. The board will ask questions of each candidate individually in open session, then allow community members to question the candidates.

Following the public forum, the board will adjourn to executive session to deliberate. They will then return to public session to vote to fill the vacancy.

Weiss had initially said the board would follow the same procedure followed in 2005 to replace Tony Marshall when he resigned. The board at that time interviewed candidates in executive session, and that prospect this time angered local open meeting law activist Shirley R. Johnson.

"The open meeting law says they can consider," Johnson said. "But it doesn't mean they can interview candidates for school board in executive session."

Superintendent Geoff Andrews said the decision to do the interviews in open session was not a result of pressure from Johnson.

"I think Beth said that initially, not really remembering what procedure was followed," Andrews said. "Then after further reflection, she decided the interviews should be public."

The deadline to submit applications to fill the board vacancy is Friday at 3 p.m. As of Monday, four candidates applied, including Robert Baldwin, Shawn Marcin, John Memmott, and Matthew Wyman.