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Lorain City Board approves MOU to manage disputed teacher credits after Ohio Department of Education action, 4–1
Summary
The Lorain City Board of Education voted 4–1 on Dec. 17 to approve agenda items 9.01–9.04, including an MOU intended to govern district treatment of certain teacher credits after the Ohio Department of Education questioned accreditation at some institutions; the vote followed debate about LPDC authority and whether teachers should bear blame for retroactive state guidance.
The Lorain City Board of Education voted 4–1 on Dec. 17 to approve agenda items 9.01–9.04, including a memorandum of understanding intended to align the district’s treatment of continuing‑education credits with guidance from the Ohio Department of Education.
The MOU was presented by the superintendent as a mechanism to allow the district to continue payments consistent with prior practice while avoiding a long‑term precedent for accepting credits that ODE no longer recognizes. "What the language says is, anything after October 10 is something that ODE will not accept," the superintendent said during discussion of the agreement.
Board members debated the MOU’s scope and consequences. One member asked specifically whether the agreement would strip authority from the Local Professional Development Committee; the superintendent replied that it would not and that LPDC still reviews plans for renewal. Another member and others questioned whether the district’s correspondence and the MOU could be read as faulting teachers for following previously acceptable institutions. A board member said the policy change originated with the state: "Change the rules, and we have to play by their rules."
During public comment, a teacher who identified herself as Cheryl Draga told the board she had completed continuing credits through Idaho State University's Albion Center and said the learning was important whether or not the credits are accepted for licensure. "I am disheartened that you would go along with what the state says," Draga said, adding that professional development remains valuable even if it cannot be used for license renewal.
Roll call on the motion produced a 4–1 result: Doctor Ballard voted yes; Barbie Washington voted no; Jay Ferguson, Missus Nazario and Mister Sturgill voted yes. The superintendent said the MOU was drafted to allow the district to meet audit requirements while addressing ODE’s change in acceptance of certain institutions’ credits.
The board did not release the full MOU text during the public meeting; the superintendent said additional detail will be shared when available. The board moved into executive session later in the meeting for personnel matters and will take no further public action at that session.
