For three years, we at AdvocateFHSD have worked to increase awareness of the issues facing our district. It is our hypothesis that when the community is informed, we get higher-quality outcomes for the district, including electing intelligent, capable and empathetic leaders. In 2021, voter turnout for the school board races was the lowest it had been in years, and we saw the four open seats go to Republican-backed candidates Hausfeld, Bibb, Jonas and Stewart.
We got what we voted for – and now, with new information about the destructive activities of the remaining Republican-backed board members paired with the Letter from the Trump administration eliminating federal funding for non-compliance in 14 days, the elimination of the Department of Education at the Federal level and a commitment from Ohio to reduce our state funding, we need the community’s engagement now more than ever to speak at this month’s board meeting.
On Thursday at 6:30pm at Mercer Elementary – we need community voices at the school board to speak up. This week, you can let the board know our community deserves better – that in Forest Hills we celebrate equitable access to education for all regardless of ability, creed, or ethnicity. We support funding and staffing high-quality public schools, which in turn supports the value of our homes in Anderson & Newtown. And, we support transparent behavior by our board including when they plan to stand silently by when funding is erased or when they actively force out a beloved community member and treasurer.
Low community engagement hurts FHSD
When engagement and awareness is low – we get Republican-backed candidates like Patty Taylor – who won a seat, and like current Republican-backed board members focused on an agenda to tear down this district. Patty Taylor quit before her term ended, and moved away from the district.
In another example, we examine Sara Jonas. Elected in 2021 and known nationally for her “anti-anti racist” comment recorded on the FHSD board meeting and seen by nearly 6 million people on TikTok, has removed the thin veil she had used for so long to hide the Republican plan to tear down the community, reduce equitable access to education for all students while enacting the Republican-party plan to defund public education.
5 of the last 6 Republican-backed school board members have engaged in enacting the same agenda and then pulling a disappearing act to avoid living with the consequences of their poor leadership.
Linda Hausfeld’s term from 2021 to 2023 also followed the same plan to tear down and run away. Hausfeld focused on division by cancelling Diversity day despite it requiring parent permission to attend, pushing out Superintendent Scot Prebles and instigating “witch hunts” for teachers supporting Diversity Day. Hausfeld’s term ended, but not before she announced to neighbors she was planning a move to Florida anyway. (Her house in Newtown sold in the past few weeks.)
Bob Bibb, now Board President, admitted that “No evidence of CRT was found” in our district – but is working to tear down the district in other ways. It is possible that in his first act as Board President, he’s been focusing on tearing down the district’s capable qualified, and highly-educated staff; starting with the Treasurer. There is a rumor he is considering alternative ways to push her out – several people locally have suggested they’d need secret meetings with legal advisors round-robin communication tactics to achieve this, as they have demonstrated no skill in publicly discussing the issues. Having experienced months of pushback from the community on the faux evaluations, Bibb may be considering that a forced resignation (would it come with a contractual commitment for her silence?) gives him potential deniability against accusations the treasurer was on the Republican Party list of administrative leaders to eliminate, for the sin of not being Republican.
Katie Stewart signed up for the burn and turn practice, too. Elected to her board position in 2021, Stewart focused her portion of the anti-equity agenda to bully students she felt didn’t have a right to use the same bathrooms she does. Stewart removed her own students from the district following her election and neighbors have suggested that Katie Stewart will be moving into Clermont County in the near future – we’ll keep an eye out to see if this rumor ends up being true.
Community engagement improves outcomes
When voters speak up and show up – we shut down secret meetings on consolidation. When community members engage, we bring forth the community-inspired CARE team to improve a sense of belonging for all students with the intent to reduce student suicides. When community members speak out, we demonstrate to our students, our teachers our community and ourselves that the cost of freedom is civic responsibility and that responsibility is never more important than when incompetence is on the dais.
It has been our goal here at AdvocateFHSD since 2022 to publicize misbehavior and misinformation that board members and administration have attempted to spread. Since 2022, we’ve kept the community informed with facts and evidence during a time when the truth is hard to come by. We cannot do this without the community’s time and engagement and support through voices.
We hope you’ll join us on Thursday.
Your voice matters and we need you to join us – speak up, but also candidly – to donate. We’ve only solicited donations once, when consolidation was being secretly considered. We ask now because as the urgency is again is high – and sending mail, publishing ads and billboards requires funding. Please consider also sending a donation of any value to help us get the word out of what is happening to our district.
Advocate FHSD 