On May 1, 2025, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued a decision in State ex rel. Ruble v. Switzerland of Ohio Local School Dist. Bd. of Edn., 2025-Ohio-1510, affirming the Seventh District Court of Appeals’ denial of a writ of mandamus sought by four former school administrators. The administrators had petitioned for reinstatement to their former positions with back pay and benefits, arguing that the school district’s administrative contract suspension policy (Policy 1540) was invalid under R.C. 3319.171. The Court held that the administrators failed to establish a clear legal right to the relief sought and clarified the limited scope of mandamus in the context of contract suspensions under local board policy.
The case arose after the Switzerland of Ohio Board of Education, acting on a recommendation from a new superintendent seeking to streamline an overstaffed central office, suspended the contracts of several administrators in 2021. The board relied on Policy 1540, a policy adopted more than a decade earlier pursuant to R.C. 3319.171, which allows boards of education to develop local procedures for suspending administrative personnel contracts. The administrators challenged the validity of Policy 1540, arguing it failed to include two elements required by the statute: a method for determining the order of suspension and a restoration provision.
The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the administrators’ argument. It emphasized that while R.C. 3319.171 requires a locally adopted policy to contain certain elements, it does not create an enforceable right to reinstatement through mandamus. Unlike statutes that impose specific procedural safeguards for nonrenewal or termination of contracts (e.g., R.C. 3319.02 or R.C. 3319.111), R.C. 3319.171 is permissive in nature and vests discretion in local boards. The Court held that, absent a statutory right to reinstatement, mandamus is not an appropriate vehicle for relief.
Implications for School Districts:
This decision affirms the authority of local boards of education to suspend administrative contracts under their own policies, provided those policies were adopted under R.C. 3319.171. The Ruble decision provides a measure of protection against challenges that rely solely on technical arguments lacking clear statutory remedies.