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Board member raises transparency concerns over consultant contract pause
Summary
Board member Megan Miller told the Beloit School District Board that an email and memo appeared to pause services by board consultant Dr. Earhart without formal board action, citing district policies and the open meetings law. The administration says no board action is being taken and that any matter will appear on a future agenda.
Megan Miller, a member of the Beloit School District Board of Education, used the public comment period to say she is "concerned about our lack of transparency as a board and violations of public trust" after an internal memo and emails appeared to pause the contracted services of board consultant Dr. Earhart without bringing the change to the full board.
Miller described a Nov. 8 memo, an apparent Nov. 10 effective date and a Nov. 17 email that she said conveyed a pause or limited cessation of on-site services. She said the contract’s Article 8 requires any modification to be "modified or amended by written instrument executed by both parties," and argued that "the pause or change has to come through board action." Miller cited district policies (referred to in the meeting as policies 1 50 and 1 61) that, she said, require board business to be conducted by the full elected board.
Board President Tia Johnson responded that "there is no action being taken on the contract" and that the board member requesting the agenda item has been informed it will be put on the next meeting’s agenda. Miller noted she sent an email on Nov. 20 invoking policy 170 1.2 and that she had not received a substantive reply; later, she said, a forwarded email from Dr. Earhart indicated services were being provided remotely, which Miller said still would not conform to the on-site schedule described in Article 2 of the contract.
Superintendent Dr. Wayne Anderson did not present a separate legal finding at the meeting but said he had sought clarification from staff; he told the board multiple times he would follow up. The administration told board members it would place the matter on the next agenda for formal consideration and resolution.
Why it matters: Miller characterized this as a transparency and open-meetings concern centered on whether a contract modification or operational change was executed without the full board's knowledge or vote. The district’s response at the meeting was to treat the matter as administrative follow-up and to place the item on a forthcoming agenda for public review.
What’s next: The board agreed to place the consultant contract matter on the next agenda so the full board can review any proposed changes or clarifications and determine whether formal action is required.
