Sweet Home School District board removes chair after ethics complaints, refers allegations to state

The Sweet Home School District 55 Board of Directors on Aug. 11 moved to reshape its leadership and refer ethics complaints to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission after public testimony and a cluster of grievances alleging illegal outside discussions and conflicts of interest.

The board voted to remove Floyd Neishwander as board chair, to distribute the formal complaints to the full board for review, and to state in its response that it will seek remedial training from the Oregon School Boards Association and defer investigation and any final findings to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC). The board also accepted a previously submitted resignation, declared the seat vacant and scheduled decisions on open officer positions for a later meeting.

The actions follow public comments from community members and a string of grievances submitted to the district. Jason Redick, a former board chair, opened public comment saying, “I'm here tonight to speak about the attempt to terminate the superintendent's contract for no cause,” and raised concerns…