To the Editor:
Letters have recently appeared urging Eastwood citizens to come together in support of a new elementary
school on the Eastwood campus. The implication is that a small group is obstinately opposing the will of
the majority.
The facts suggest otherwise.
The central elementary school concept was rejected when first proposed in the 1990s and early 2000s. The
consensus was the community preferred elementary schools in the villages rather than at a central
campus.
In 2008, the community was asked to approve construction of a central elementary building. The levy
request was rejected decisively, voting being as follows:  
For 2,200 (43.56%)
Against 2,850 (56.44%)
In 2009, the community was asked the same question. This vote was even more lopsided:
For 1,504  (40.83%)
Against 2,180 (59.17%)
The Board decided to put the issue on the ballot again in November 2014. The proposal immediately met
with organized opposition, and it seemed certain the issue would again be defeated.
However, in a meeting starting at 7 a.m.  and ending at 7:02 a.m., with no public participation or
discussion, the board pulled the issue from the ballot and determined to proceed with the
$20,000,000-plus project without the vote of the people.
A routine public records request was filed in late October asking to review the superintendent’s email
communications, the purpose being to understand how this astonishing decision was made and to ensure
Ohio Open Meetings Law had been complied with. Ohio law is clear that public records (including email
communications) must be maintained in such a way that records can be readily inspected by the public. It
was anticipated it would take just minutes to copy these records to a disk. However, the request was
rejected, thus leaving a lawsuit as the only option. This lawsuit remains pending; nearly two months
later, these records have not been produced!
We share a desire that kids in Eastwood receive an excellent education in adequate facilities. We have
great respect for those who believe in a central elementary school. We agree, at some point, the
community needs to come together. However, we feel it’s unfair to expect the group to re-evaluate their
position before all public records requests have been honored.
The Board has caused the division in the community by acting unilaterally: the Board should allow the
community to vote on this $20,000,000-plus project, and should comply with Open Records laws.
Nigel and Trudy Davies
Pemberville