Bailey interrupted Magnus during discussion, disagreeing with her about a priority, after which Magnus said, “Excuse me, let me finish. We can rumble anytime,” while taking off her coat.
Superintendent Terri Holden interrupted and said, “We cannot, we cannot, get to a point where we’re talking about fighting during a board meeting. I implore you. Please do not.”
Board President Judith Hempfling then told Magnus to continue.
“Anybody who knows me knows I’m playing,” Magnus said, and continued her discussion about legal fees for two projects, one for an apartment complex proposed on land the district owns and a greenspace project at Mills Lawn Elementary.
In an email to the Dayton Daily News, Hempfling said Magnus had not threatened anyone.
“It never occurred to me Magnus was advocating for violence in her remark regarding ‘rumble’ because it’s clear to me she wasn’t,” Hempfling said.
“I did not use threatening language towards school administrators or board members on 12 December 2024,” Magnus said in an email to the Dayton Daily News. “I did experience hostility from the superintendent, unprovoked hostility that was directed towards me.”
After the December school board meeting ended, tempers flared again, with Magnus calling Holden a two-word expletive while district treasurer Jacob McGrath recorded the exchange.
In emails obtained by the Dayton Daily News, several school employees, including Holden and McGrath, expressed concern with the incident, saying they felt angry a board member would treat an employee that way.
“… I interrupted board member Magnus when she threatened to rumble with another board member (Bailey),” Holden said in an email to board president Hempfling. “That is uncalled for in a public meeting. Our community deserves better.”
This is not the first time that this school board has experienced division. In May, Magnus was investigated and the school board proposed a censure for comments she made in a Facebook message to a Yellow Springs schools teacher. The censure failed because the board split two votes to two votes, with Magnus abstaining.
Magnus publicly apologized after that incident, in which an investigator found she violated two school board policies. She said in an email to the Dayton Daily News that she has since undergone training with the Ohio School Board Association.
Board members who responded to the Dayton Daily News’ request for comment called for accountability from the board. A meeting open to the public to discuss the incident is scheduled for 5 p.m. Jan. 9.
“This incident raises concerns about the long-term implications of such behavior and its continued negative impact on our district,” Bailey said. “These actions, among others, have created a hostile working environment for our administrators.”
School board member Dorothée Bouquet said she hoped the upcoming meeting would mark a turning point.
“It’s time for the board to realign with its core responsibilities: ensuring students have the best possible educational experiences while supporting and empowering our dedicated faculty and administrators,” Bouquet said.
Hempfling said she hoped to continue one of the school district’s goals, “deep caring.”
“In the context of the deliberative process of a school board while debating decisions, how does kindness look?” she said. “Perhaps we can try to find out as we go forward in 2025.”
The December issue flared up while the board was discussing legal bills around multiple facilities projects. One is the school district’s upcoming bond levy-funded school facilities project, and the other is a proposed affordable housing development at district-owned soccer fields.
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