ROCHESTER, Mich. – A Rochester school board trustee was censured Monday night after publishing an op-ed about a proposed Oakland County millage that was being discussed behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
Carol Beth Litkouhi, a former school teacher, was removed from her committees and stripped of her liaison role with the schools following the board’s decision.
“I was elected to represent the community, not to participate in a strategy that shields a tax proposal from the very people who would pay it,” Litkouhi said during the board meeting.
The controversy stems from an op-ed Litkouhi wrote in the Detroit News regarding an Oakland County millage proposal that she says was being discussed behind closed doors and in small groups, away from public scrutiny.
“I wrote two different emails to them,” Litkouhi said. “I explained some of my issues with the millage, and I asked if we could talk about it openly.”
After receiving no response to her emails, Litkouhi decided to write out her thoughts.
She defended her actions, stating, “I never shared any information that was confidential, everything I shared were public communications and other school districts have already even been talking about this tax proposal elsewhere, openly.”
“The censure had to do with our bylaws. We have a bylaw that specifically says not to share information that has not been shared with the public by the district,” School Board President Michelle Bueltel said, explaining the board’s position.
The censure motion, proposed by Trustee Jessica Gupta, passed with a 5-2 vote.
“That wasn’t our information to share; it was information from the county level that was shared with our superintendent as a precursor to maybe a future discussion,” Gupta said.
Bueltel added that any plans would eventually be made public, saying, “Whenever it comes forward, then information would be in our board packet before we voted on it, so that anyone could comment on that.”