Supreme Court Upholds Switzerland Dismissals
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that four Monroe County school administrators whose jobs were eliminated during a district reorganization are not entitled to reinstatement or backpay.
In a unanimous decision, the Court upheld the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District’s decision in 2021 to suspend the contracts of James Ruble, Linda O’Connor, Cynthia Brill, and Suzanne Holland, following a recommendation of the newly hired superintendent who determined the district was administratively overstaffed.
The four challenged the suspensions, arguing that the school board’s policy did not meet all the legal requirements under the Ohio Revised Code meaning the contracts were unlawfully suspended.
The Court disagreed finding that even if the policy wasn’t perfectly written, it was valid.
State law allows school boards to suspend administrative contracts for valid reasons. The Court agreed with a lower court ruling from the Seventh District Court of Appeals, which concluded the Switzerland of Ohio school board followed proper procedure and had legitimate reasons—overstaffing—for eliminating the positions.
At the time of the suspensions, the district reportedly had one administrator for every 40 to 50 students, far exceeding the state average of one per 130 students.
This Supreme Court decision signals the end of the former employees’ legal efforts to regain their former positions or receive financial compensation.
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