The Raymond School Board has admitted to violating Wisconsin open meetings laws as part of a lawsuit settlement, according to a Dec. 3, 2024 story published in The Journal Times of Racine.
Mitchell Berman sued the Raymond School Board in April, claiming that the School Board violated state open meetings laws by not properly providing notice about the December 2022 retreat, not holding it in open session and not properly providing notice about the subject matter of the meeting.
According to the lawsuit, the school board met at Raymond School Board President Audrey Kostuch’s house on Dec. 15, 2022, for a retreat (Kostuch did not respond to a Journal Times request for comment regarding the settlement).
As part of the settlement, the Raymond School District’s insurance company will pay $9,300 for Berman’s attorney fees and court costs.
The Raymond School Board also must post all future board meeting agendas and minutes on the district’s website; not hold any board meetings in a non-public building, absent an emergency; and publicize the lawsuit settlement.
“Public meetings need to be held in public spaces,” said Berman’s attorney Tom Kamenick, Wisconsin Transparency Project president and founder, in a news release. “Public notice must be provided, and the public must be permitted to attend.”
The board also held an open meetings law training Dec. 2 at the school — another requirement of the settlement.
In the article, Berman said he sent his children to a different district this school year because of numerous issues with the Raymond School Board, staff departures and financial challenges.
In a news release, Berman said the civil lawsuit should not have been necessary but that the settlement “reminds us all of the indispensable role that community members play in holding our elected officials accountable.”
