Columbus City Schools board member Brandon Simmons reported fellow members to the Ohio Auditor's office for allegedly misusing public funds and retaliating against him.
Simmons alleges his colleagues retaliated against him after he authored a document trying to silence dissenting voices on the district's plan to close some buildings. The school board called a special meeting Monday night to discuss the allegations Simmons made against board members.
This stems from a divisive strategy document titled “Taking Control of the Task Force Narrative," that Simmons admittedly wrote, that was leaked to the public. The document suggested ways to weaken the Columbus Education Association, after the group reacted negatively to a district plan to close some school buildings.
Simmons said in a press release his complaint centers around how the school board responded with a document that discredited Simmons after his strategy document leaked. Simmons claimed the board inappropriately used the public's resources to hide information about their involvement in the document.
Simmons also said he reported this after the Ohio Ethics Commission told him to report the situation to the auditor's office.
Ohio Auditor spokesman Marc Kovacs said the office received the complaint and will review it, before deciding whether to launch an investigation.
Simmons continues to insist fellow board members helped him create the document. CCS Board President Christina Vera has denied that claim.
Simmons also said he has audio recordings that will support his claim, but he refuses to release them publicly. He said he turned the recordings over to the auditor's office.
Columbus City Schools did not respond to a request for comment.
