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Liberty school board looks back over changes
By robert Guttersohn
Liberty
The board of education meeting Monday was about change — with Diana DeVito presiding over her last meeting as president and Jeff Grinstein attending his last meeting as board member.
“It’s the best of jobs, and it’s the worst of jobs,” DeVito said of being president, borrowing from Charles Dickens’ opening line in “A Tale of Two Cities.”
She said the job as president was best when seeing students and staff excel, but was worst when there was negativity, gossiping and people coming to irrational conclusions.
She remains a board member, having been re-elected recently.
Grinstein, who did not run for re-election in November, began his term on the board in 2008. He was its president in 2009.
“The last four years have been fun in a sick way,” Grinstein joked.
Over the last four years, the board approved the conversion schools LEARN and LEAD in 2009, then severed its relationship with them in 2011.
It also changed the schools from trimesters to semesters and changed superintendents.
As both a certified public accountant and an attorney, DeVito said Grinstein often gave the board free legal advice.
“I’m sure Mr. Grinstein has put in more hours than the rest of us put together,” DeVito said.
DeVito said Grinstein was heavily involved in contract negotiations with Ohio Valley Energy over the gas well being built on district property in 2008 and in negotiating the district’s $350,000 settlement with LEARN and LEAD.
Grinstein said his greatest accomplishment was helping to hire the current superintendent, Stan Watson, in 2009.
“Board members come and go ... but it’s the captain of the ship that keeps it from tipping over,” he said.
Liberty resident and principal of Springfield Intermediate School David Malone will take his place in January.