Questions To Ask At Tonight's Levy Town Hall

Based on statements made at the February 6 town hall that appear inconsistent with documented evidence, here are direct questions community members could ask about accountability:

Questions About Misrepresentations at Previous Town Hall

• Dr. Hatton, in your editorial advocating for the levy, you emphasized "transparency" and "accountability." How do you reconcile these values with the district's response to public information requests regarding the FFE investigation, which required legal action before documents were produced?

• At the February town hall, Treasurer Harrington stated the FFE investigation cost taxpayers only $11,089. However, heavily redacted legal invoices obtained through public records requests suggest additional costs. Will FCS release the un-redacted legal bills to verify this figure is accurate, especially given potential appearance of misrepresentations at the last meeting?

• Superintendent Hatton stated at the February town hall that he had 'several conversations' with Kevin Manley at the 'end of the school year' about administrative support. Manley's resignation letter is dated April 11—nearly two months before the end of the school year. Why was this timeline misrepresented, and how will the board address this factual inaccuracy?

• When asked about the FFE investigation at the February town hall, Superintendent Hatton said, 'Since it's connected to finances, obviously we will answer these questions.' This implies questions are only answered when they might affect levy passage. Does the board endorse this selective approach to transparency, and if not, what steps will you take to ensure complete transparency regardless of financial implications?

Questions About Board Oversight and Accountability

• Board members have been informed of documentation contradicting statements made by administrators related to the FFE Investigation at the February town hall, yet have offered no corrections or clarifications. Why has the board remained silent when presented with evidence that administrators have provided incorrect information to the public?

• The board has a fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers. What specific oversight mechanisms will the board implement to prevent administrators from making misleading statements about situations like the FFE Investigation, district finances and personnel decisions at future public meetings?

• When administrators present information that later proves to be false or misleading, what consequences does the board believe are appropriate, and will you commit to a specific accountability framework to address such situations?

• Board Member Susan Russel recently dismissed documented evidence about the FFE investigation as 'opinion being disguised as fact' without identifying any specific inaccuracies. Will board members commit to specifically identifying what they believe is factually incorrect rather than making blanket dismissals?

• Given the documented pattern of misleading statements at public meetings, does the board believe the community should trust what administrators say at this town hall about the need for the May 6 levy? If so, what assurances can you provide that the information presented today is complete and accurate?

• The board hired this administration and is responsible for their performance. What steps will you take to restore public trust after administrators have repeatedly misled this community by providing misleading information at public meetings, particularly when that information affects how taxpayers vote on funding requests?

Questions on Town Hall Format

• Parents involved in the FFE investigation have expressed frustration that they weren't allowed to ask questions directly during meetings about that situation. Tonight's town hall follows the same pattern - questions filtered, read by someone else, no direct dialogue. Why does the administration consistently choose formats that limit direct constituent engagement on controversial issues?

• The FFE parents meeting was criticized for preventing natural dialogue between concerned parties. Given that criticism, what was the reasoning behind choosing a nearly identical format for discussing a tax increase that will impact the entire community?

• What criteria are being used to select which submitted questions will be answered during tonight's town hall? Who is making these decisions, and how are you ensuring that challenging questions aren't being filtered out?

• Many school districts successfully hold open forums where constituents can directly ask questions about financial matters. What specific reasons led Findlay City Schools to reject this more transparent approach?

• Will the district commit to holding a truly open town hall before the May 6th vote, where constituents can directly ask questions and receive immediate, unfiltered responses about both the levy and the financial implications of the FFE investigation?

If someone submits any of these questions and they are not read during the town hall, please let us know so we can report on FCS refusing to even hear them.