Tuesday, December 30, 2003
The school board was to have considered the firing this week.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- A judge is postponing an effort by city school officials to fire a treasurer's office employee over improper-conduct claims.
Judge C. Ashley Pike of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, issued a temporary restraining order Monday based on a request by Annette Howard, an assistant school treasurer.
Howard is ill and her doctor says the stress of termination proceedings would aggravate her condition, a motion seeking the restraining order states.
The order barred the school board from holding meetings that had been scheduled for Monday and tonight to hear Superintendent Dr. David Brobeck's pitch that the panel fire Howard. Judge Pike also is forbidding school administrators to conduct a pre-termination conference regarding Howard.
Both types of meetings would require Howard to defend herself, something she's not up to, maintain her lawyers, attorneys James Roberts and David Moore of Youngstown.
Judge Pike's order is in place through Jan. 12. He also set a 1 p.m. Jan. 7 hearing to consider granting an injunction that forbids the school district to commence any firing proceedings regarding Howard until her doctor authorizes it.
Howard, a 14-year school employee, said Monday that she's relieved by the judge's decision. She said she is a diabetic and has complications that are aggravated by the stress.
Brobeck said school officials are disappointed by Judge Pike's decision.
The school board wanted to hear the case before the terms of three of the panel's five members expire Wednesday, Brobeck said.
However, he added that he is confident the newly configured panel can "be fair and objective."
Superintendent's argument
Brobeck has argued that a school district probe shows, among other things, that Howard made unauthorized purchases using school money and had work done at her home by a school employee.
Howard has denied the claims and has said she wants to return to her job.
She has been suspended since Jan. 6, 2003. During that time she has received full pay and benefits totaling more than $52,000.
In the motion for the restraining order, Howard's attorneys said that Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron has told them that firing proceedings by the school district against Howard may jeopardize Herron's ongoing criminal probe of Howard's former boss, treasurer Ted Cougras.
Cougras resigned in December 2002 after an investigation began regarding the purchase with school district money of $781 in office furniture that was delivered to Cougras' Poland home.