Painesville School Board Meeting: Riverside Superintendent Termination Hearing, Buckeye Building Project, Union Injunction

PAINESVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Dozens of parents, teachers and community members have packed recent Riverside Local Schools board meetings as a lame-duck majority presses ahead with the Riverside superintendent termination hearing against Superintendent Christopher “Chris” Rateno, while simultaneously battling over a major building project and a multimillion‑dollar fund transfer opposed by the teachers union. Newly elected board members and much of the public say the outgoing majority is rushing a personal vendetta weeks before leaving office. The current board insists it is following policy and acting in the district’s best interest. Superintendent Faces January Termination Hearing The current Riverside Board of Education has formally set a Riverside superintendent termination hearing for 9 a.m. on Jan. 4 in the district’s board conference room. The hearing will be held before a referee under Ohio law, a required step before any final decision on firing a superintendent. The process began in late November, when a 3–1 board majority voted at a special meeting to issue a pre‑discipline, pre‑termination conference demand to Rateno. That vote was added on a paper agenda shortly before the meeting and came after a closed‑door executive session. At a Dec. 4 special meeting, the same majority: Declared its intent not to reemploy Rateno Declared its intent to consider termination of his contract Directed the district to file a misconduct report with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Those votes were again 3–1 , with Board President Scott Fishel, Dennis Keeney and Denise Brewster in favor and Lori Krenisky opposed. Board member Belinda Grassi was absent. Rateno was later placed on suspension without pay , pending the outcome of the process. Under state law, he can demand a hearing before the board or a referee, and the board must wait a set period after notice before taking any final action. Board Releases Lengthy List of Allegations For days after the early votes, board leaders refused to spell out why they were seeking to remove Rateno, citing legal advice and directing reporters to public‑records requests. That secrecy fueled public anger and accusations of a “witch hunt.” Under mounting pressure, Fishel used a Dec. 10 special meeting to publicly read a lengthy resolution titled something akin to a “Resolution to Declare Intention to Consider the Termination of Contract with Full Specification of the Grounds for Such Consideration.” The document, described as running through 72 allegations, is available as a public record through the district treasurer’s office. Key claims outlined by the board include: Unsatisfactory evaluations Board‑driven performance reviews allegedly scored Rateno around 61% for 2023–24 and 60% for 2024–25. The resolution asserts his services are “unsatisfactory,” that he has been notified of concerns, offered chances to improve and still remains unsatisfactory. Buckeye Building Project and bond financing disputes The board accuses Rateno of a “deliberate attempt to sabotage the will of the board” regarding the Buckeye Building Project , a major facilities initiative. It alleges he had improper communications with stakeholders and with the district’s former municipal advisor Sudsina & Associates, contributing to the firm’s resignation and undermining formal board actions on borrowing and certificates of participation. The municipal advisor’s resignation letter, read aloud at a prior meeting, said the planned financing structure “may not be in the district’s best interest” and announced the firm was stepping away from the transaction. Alleged Sunshine Law and board policy violations A focal point is a Nov. 8 special meeting called by Grassi and Krenisky. With the other three members absent, no quorum was present. On advice from counsel, Grassi and Krenisky were told to leave to avoid Sunshine Law issues, and the event was reframed as a community listening session without current board members present. Rateno arranged for the session to be recorded and posted to the district’s YouTube channel. The board now characterizes that gathering as a “sham board meeting” aimed at undoing prior formal Buckeye project decisions and claims those actions violated both Ohio’s open‑meetings statutes and district policy. Broad conduct and character language The resolution layers on sweeping statements that Rateno allegedly failed to: Maintain “unquestionably high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality and professional conduct” Uphold the “proper performance of school business and administration” Meet “high standards” in working relationships and professional leadership It further asserts that his actions amount to incompetency, inefficiency, misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance, dishonesty and “just cause” for discipline and termination. The district has also filed a report of educator misconduct with the state, as required in certain cases. Superintendent Vehemently Denies Charges Rate